Aircraft Accident Resulting from Pilot Error

Aircraft Accident Resulting from Pilot Error

July 12, 2015

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Air transportation safety has vastly improved over the past decades, in part from flight control systems and the software that have been developed to manage them. The utilization of these controls and the systems involved in every day commercial flight was meant to be beneficial to flight safety by eliminating potential pilot error and many of the risks that come with human pilots. Computers do not suffer from fatigue, they can monitor multiple things at once with greater precision, and they can manage flight controls more subtly than people can much of the time. However, human pilots are still a necessity and the risks that are involved with manned aviation are still very real. Pilots have a tremendous responsibility and a large quantity of systems and gauges to monitor. This multitasking, paired with aviation knowledge and procedures, still results in accidents.

On July 6th, 2013, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 was on a routine landing approach to land in San Francisco, California. On approach, it was determined that its glide path was too high. To correct this, the pilot increased the descent rate in the autopilot. After correcting back to required descent rate, he increased the flaps. In the video provided in the links, it is noted that the copilot mentioned several times to compare speed, noting that they were descending too fast. In response, the pilot changed the autopilot to Flight Level Change mode which initiated a climb to a preset altitude, after which he disengaged autopilot to stop climbing and switched the thrust levelers to idle, causing the auto-throttle to go into hold mode; meaning the auto-throttle stopped controlling air speed. At this point the descent rate became too high, once again noted by the copilot. As the pilot pulled back on the controls to attempt to maintain glide rate, the audible alert for speed sounded. Immediately after, the...