wtf hapens with the airliners ! ? about 737 crash near athen: medias say the plane had circling on autopilot until empty fuel: auto pilot can maintain alt,speed, v speed, heading, radio nav, but circling is it possible? i don't think so.
I think modern autopilot can perform any manouver you can imagine, though I don't know if it's always preprogramed with most of them, and 737 is a bit far from modern.
and: @tigrou Modern autopilot solutions like those mounted on airliners since mid 90's not only can perform complicated manouvers... they virtually make a flighpath programmer out of pilot... the whole flight (including takeoff and landing) can be performed automatically, while the pilot drinks coffe or screws the flight attendants.
and the other day 17 spanish soldiers died in an helicopter crash in Afghanistan. They were there in pacific mission....
so the plane had to land to complete the log nav,or the sequence has been broken at one moment ... btw i've heard that some ppl wanted enter the cocpik but it was locked... since september 2001.
They were in a peace enforcement mission (among with others nations troops) in an area where is not possible to avoid their services, it's a different thing. Soldiers are not needed for pacific missions. All the above just for not fooling ourselves with words. Of course my condolences for their loss...
I don't know really if it is this way, but not having any way of entering the cockpit from outside is IMO a complete lack of imagination.
cocpit closed from inside, 2 pilots almost dead, no oxigen to have enough stengh to kick door, and the plane is totaly free. or explain why a commercial navigant couldn't take the radio !? this crash is very strange senario...
I'm just saing that there should be a way to enter the cockpit from the outside in case of an emergency.
The idea is not to negotiate with terrorists, so he can stick that granade up his ass. Afterall - what's the difference if he can get inside the cockpit or not? HE STILL HAS A FUCKIN' GRANADE AND CAN BLOW THE PLANE UP.
Actually it's not about a guy with a granade, but rather a guy with a chicken's leg The one with a frag is equally dangerous in cockpit as in cabin, so not much point in shutting the pit door before him. And there never should be anyone with a frag on a plane in the first place, that's what all those security measures are in fact for. Closed cockpit is supposed to prevent a "terrorist" with a half eaten chicken leg or a handkerchief with some green goo inside from threatening pilots, just as it happened on that 11.09 (or 9/11 for the communists )
I'm not saying the door should be wide open sheeeeesh you miss my point here. For a guy with a granade on the plane it's irrelevant whether the door is closed or not. He can blow everything up anyway. If he has only a chickens leg tell me how the hell will he get into a closed cockpit? The key (or keycard or whatever) should be stashed somewhere in the passangers section and f.ex. only chief stewardess should know where. I could think of many other ways to limit the access to the cockpit but shutting it permanently from the inside is IMO stupid and irresponsible. btw: are you guys 100% sure there absolutly is no way of entering the cockpit from the outside?
Cockpit doors should remain inaccessible no matter what. If two medically certified and professionally trained pilots are faced with a situation that cannot allow them to fly the plane proplerly, there will be no John Wayne or sexy stewardess who will be able to do it better than the pilots. Plane was at 33,000ft and cockpit had lost oxygen. At that alt, you can only last 30 seconds before becoming unconscience. There is almost no situation that should allow passengers into the cockpit unless you're watching a movie.
