Another crew along for the ride

[Gabriel]

The Australian TSB reported that after receiving clearance for the visual approach to runway 16R both Virgin crew were confident the APP push button had been pressed and the autopilot would thus intercept the localizer, neither of the pilots referred to the announciators to cross check whether the approach mode had indeed been armed. Consequently the aircraft continued to track through the localizer until a TCAS traffic advisory alerted the crew to another aircraft in close proximity

http://avherald.com/h?article=4689eac4&opt=0

It makes me feel angry.

The virgin crew filed 6 times.
1- They failed to select APP mode.
2- They failed to monitor the FMA which is displayed in the PRIMARY FLIGHT display (note that this display has the words PRIMARY and FLIGHT in its name for a reason).
3- They failed to monitor the ILS needles which are displayed in the PRIMARY FLIGHT display.
4- 5- and 6: The above times two pilots.

I wonder if they were monitoring pitch, bank, airspeed and altitude (also displayed in the PRIMARY FLIGHT display) or if they left that alone too because "they thought that Otto was handling it too" and they were just along for the ride instead of doing their jobs of FLYING THE PLANE, which is ALWAYS responsibility of the human pilots and NEVER of the autopilot.

This incident is much more similar to the Asiana accident that what many realize or imagine. "Oh, I thought that the autothrottle would handle it". Right, because we pay you money for...???

[Evan]

http://avherald.com/h?article=4689eac4&opt=0

It makes me feel angry.

The virgin crew filed 6 times.
1- They failed to select APP mode.
2- They failed to monitor the FMA which is displayed in the PRIMARY FLIGHT display (note that this display has the words PRIMARY and FLIGHT in its name for a reason).
3- They failed to monitor the ILS needles which are displayed in the PRIMARY FLIGHT display.
4- 5- and 6: The above times two pilots.

7 and 8 - They failed to look out the windows, apparently.

[Gabriel]

7 and 8 - They failed to look out the windows, apparently.

Very relevant, considering that they were in a visual approach and, more importantly, hence under VFR where the pilots are required to see and avoid and keep visual separation from other traffic.

But no. It took a TCAS TA and RA for both of them to notice that they had not engaged the AP in the correct mode, that they had overshot the extended runway centerline (visually), that they had overshot the LOC, and that they were about to smash against another airplane.

Brillant! Who could have thought that the TCAS had so many functions?

[TeeVee]

i've been flying as a pax since i think it was 1979. i only really became interested in the intricacies of aviation in the mid 2000's when i started flying a lot for work.

it simply blows my mind that with all the numb nut idiot pilots out there, there aren't far more crashes. God must really protect fools, drunks and babies.

i read another report synopsis on av herald last night about yet another AF crew that came closer than they should've to buying the farm in shitty weather. apparently caused by their failure to set the weather radar correctly. literally flew into a shit storm and lost control of the aircraft for a bit.

three days ago, i flew MIA-MGA in the challenger 300. flew right through some pretty crappy stuff, but nowhere near loss of control, as the pilots used the weather radar properly and planned their "connect-the-dots" route through the less nasty stuff.