AF447 Transcript and Pilot Error orientation...

Its well known that the French investigation is focused on avoiding any allocation of blame. With all the inter-linkages between Airbus, Air France and the French government it is clear that the BEA is actually investigating the French government. The level of disclosure tolerated by the French is abysmally low in comparison to what the NTSB would be revealing.

The above paragraph from an earlier posting on this blog is being repeated in response to some inquiries I've had regarding the recent publication of more complete transcripts in a book that focuses clearly on pilot error and pilot standards.

The French view is that only pertinent conversations get published. The American view is that everything, including the final expletives, get published. It is a question of openness and a dedication to seeing that absolutely nothing is to prevent the deaths that have taken place from being deaths that contribute to future air safety.

There are serious issues as to whether the initial climb was the result of pilot commanded inputs or not. The book fails to address this issue. The fact that irrelevant conversations were taking place is meaningless. The plane was not at an altitude where rules impose a "sterile cockpit" devoid of non-pertinent conversations or activities.

The pilots were suddenly confronted with a situation where the computer suddenly said "your plane". As young pilots with an instructor beside them they've heard that phrase a zillion times but suddenly they are "hearing" it without warning and they are no longer in some small two-seated training aircraft. The computer gave up when limits were exceeded and dumped them into alternate law amidst a flurry of warning messages and loss of instruments coupled with loss of any sense that remaining instruments were or even might be reliable. Its pure hell when a complex system cuts out.

Other, non fatal, incidents indicate a serious likelihood that that initial climb of a few thousand feet was not selected by pilot initiated control inputs. After that the cascade of events proceeds with confusion and unreliable information. The start of the fatal event was that initial climb. Blame the pilots for it? Not yet!!!