Aircrew screwed up big time on this one. I remember one of the first things I was taught in primary flight training was that the stick goes FORWARD at the onset of a stall. 

http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2010/AAR1001.htm

skoker wrote on Feb 4^th, 2010 at 8:31pm:



I was watching the transportation committee questioning the FAA Administrator over these findings last night on C-Span.  They kept talking about additional training for problem pilots, and not scheduling two problem pilots to crew together.  The only question in my mind, if they are problem pilots, perhaps its time to find a new career all together.  There definitely is not a pilot shortage, so the airlines should be able to be a little more demanding of the qualifications of their pilots.

RitterKreuz wrote on Feb 5^th, 2010 at 3:18pm:



As the FAA administrator said last night on C-Span, it wasn't just a case of inexperience, but of a bad pilot.  The captain on the flight had over 5300 hours total time, yet he had failed numerous check rides at Colgan and his prior airline.  There are low time pilots that are probably more capable and more dedicated to aviation than this guy was.  Hours in the logbook don't mean a lot, the Air Force has pilots flying multi-million dollar space age aircraft in combat by themselves, with just a few hundred hours total time, yet a 5000+ hour pilot managed to simply stall his commuter and panic.

SaultFresh wrote on Feb 6^th, 2010 at 12:53am:


where i worked... you bust a ride, you have to speak with the training director. If the training director elected to give you another shot and you failed again, you proceed directly to the chief pilot's office, turn in your books and badges and hit the bricks because buddy... you just lost your job.

sometimes thats just that... but sometimes...

Your union... then puts their heads together and says that you failed the check ride because of a number of factors outside of your control...

1. You had been extended into your days off to work a schedule that was never yours to begin with...

2. as a result of that you never did manage to commute home for any time off between your work week and your recurrent checking event

3. they further argue that because of these factors, not only were you fatigued, but you had no time to study between getting off your extended trip at 2200 hours and having to show up for a recurrent checking event at 0600 the next day... therefore it was unreasonable for the airline to expect you to be prepared, let alone fit for a checking event under those circumstances.

the airline caves in, and you get another shot.

this time, you pass.

you get your job back like nothing ever happened.

The union system is designed to protect pilots from EXACTLY the situation that just played out above. I have known good pilots... GREAT pilots... who have experienced exactly that situation.

you push a guy to minimum rest, maximum legal work over 6 days of long trips with short layovers, and give him no down time, then... you schedule him for a check ride on a day that he wouldn't even legally be allowed to fly an airplane anyway.... not only that, but you expect this person to pass under the threat of being fired if they dont?? 

The union is your only ace in the hole to protect you from such a situation...

however, it can also be far too easily tailored or abused to fit virtually any situation thereby keeping a "bad pilot" on the job.