That old AA video, "Children of the Magenta" seems to be as applicable now than it was then. No matter how automated the avionics are, basic piloting skills are a critical skill to have, be it in place of or in the monitoring the automation. I can't tell you how many times I see someone trying to type his or her way out of a jam or just watching the avionics get them in a jam with little more than a, "what's it doing now?", rather than clicking the automation off and flying the airplane. Past accidents are resplendent with such problems. Cali, the Air Bus demo and so forth.

It certainly can make the aircrew lazy but it also doesn't have to. Some companies mistakenly encourage or even require use of automation. The Bus is a superb flying machine when you click off the automation, flies like a big fighter. A lot of guys didn't like it but most of those not liking it didn't fly it. Loosing stick and rudder skills isn't due to the Bus, it's due to the way some companies/pilots fly the Bus.....

How about, the way some companies/pilots fly the Bus contributes to it's known safety flaw?

Three competent Air France pilots deep stalled and crashed a perfectly good airplane because the Pilot Monitoring and Captain couldn't tell that the Pilot Flying was commanding full nose up -- thinking the airplane wouldn't let him stall.

This Asiana pilot was also commanding nose up while thinking the Boeing would supply power and not let him stall.

Coincidence?

WASHINGTON — Asiana Airlines has been fined $500,000 for failing to assist family members of passengers on a flight that crashed last year at San Francisco airport, the Transportation Department announced Tuesday.

The airline based in South Korea violated federal law in the July 6 crash in San Francisco that killed three people and injured more than 100 others, by failing to adhere to its family-assistance crash, according to the department.

The fine is the first against an airline under the Federal Air Carrier Family Support Act of 1997. Foreign airlines are supposed to publicize and staff a reliable toll-free phone number for relatives of passengers to get information after a crash.

Asiana took two full days to successfully contact the families of just three-quarters of the passengers, according to the department. The families of several passengers were not contacted until five days following the crash, the department said.

"In the very rare event of a crash, airlines have a responsibility to provide their full support to help passengers and their families by following all the elements of their family assistance plans," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in announcing the fine. "The last thing families and passengers should have to worry about at such a stressful time is how to get information from their carrier."

Spokesmen for Asiana didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

For approximately one day following the crash, Asiana failed to widely publicize any telephone number for family members of those onboard, and the number available was a reservations line, according to the department.

The reservations line did not include a separate menu option for calls related to the crash and callers were required to navigate through cumbersome automated menus before being connected to an Asiana employee, according to the department.

Asiana also lacked translators and personnel trained in crash response, the transportation department found.

In the late 1990s, after airlines were roundly criticized for ignoring desperate requests for information after crashes, Congress required carriers to dedicate significant attention to families of passengers.

Last fall, The Associated Press reviewed plans filed by two dozen foreign airlines and found cases in which carriers had not updated their family assistance plans as required.

Since AP's story, several airlines have updated family assistance plans and filed new paperwork with the Department of Transportation. Among them is Asiana's bigger rival, Korean Air.

It is RARE you will ever hear me say this:
High-5 to the government

What amazes me is that there was no "partnership" between United and Asiana.
Surely United would have had ALL in place.
This should be part of an airline alliance.

It's their Culture, they don't like to speak of bad things:

"Spokesmen for Asiana didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

For approximately one day following the crash, Asiana failed to widely publicize any telephone number for family members of those onboard, and the number available was a reservations line, according to the department.

The reservations line did not include a separate menu option for calls related to the crash and callers were required to navigate through cumbersome automated menus before being connected to an Asiana employee, according to the department.

Asiana also lacked translators and personnel trained in crash response, the transportation department found."

Their culture is in part what caused the accident in the first place, the new LCA in the right seat probably didn't want to speak up and point out that the new Capt. in the left seat was high and hot, then low and slow.

Dishonor?

No, Save Face!

I guess a lack of moral integrity and ethics is common place in all cultures.

There you go bringing up obamacare.

Add that to the loooooong list of things that need to be set straight in this wonderful country. Out with the current Government and the Fed to would be a great place to start.

Accident ID DCA13MA120 Mode Aviation occurred on July 06, 2013 in San Francisco, CA United States Last Modified on March 31, 2014 13:03 Public Released on December 11, 2013 08:12 Total 183 document items

Select document 177 for download 31 March 2014