Air India disaster is the tombstone on the 'single pilot' idea. Even Easa gives up: two pilots are needed on board
What likely happened last June 12 to Air India Flight 171, which crashed a few dozen seconds after the [...]
Air India
Star Alliance
What likely happened last June 12 at the Air India Flight 171, crashed a few dozen seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport., most likely constitutes the tombstone on the plan to have a single pilot conduct a passenger flight.
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In fact, the initial findings of the investigation conducted into the disaster say. it was the commander of the Boeing 787 who cut off the flow of fuel to the engines by a deliberate act, probably intending to commit suicide by taking the lives of hundreds of poor people with him. The first officer did what he could to recover the situation in the few seconds leading up to the crash, even managing to restart engine number 2. Although his intervention was not enough to avert the tragedy, it allows us to understand how important it is that during all phases of the flight there are always two people in the cockpit. Even in cases less 'dramatic than the one in Ahmedabad.
Reports last Feb. 17 told of a Lufthansa Frankfurt-Seville flight during which the captain went to the toilet. During his absence, first officer fell ill and lost consciousness and the commander was able to enter the cabin using the secret code in his possession to open the cockpit door. And, at that point, with the other pilot unable to operate, he single-handedly led the plane to the ground. What would have happened if a second pilot had not been on board that flight?
As chance would have it, among other things, that a few days before the Air India disaster, the European Air Transport Safety Agency (Easa) had announced that it had abandoned the trials so far conducted For so-called Extended Minimum Crew Operations (eMCO) and Single Pilot Operations (SiPO).: the first scenario involves (provided, at this point) that there were two pilots aboard the plane, but that the cruise phase (at altitude) was handled by one pilot; the second that there was only one pilot aboard the plane to handle all phases of the flight, from takeoff to landing.
Sponsors of this 'innovative' approach, which would result in huge savings in personnel costs, were a number of airlines and the manufacturer Airbus. Against, there were pilot unions and public opinion, frightened at the idea of having 'one man in charge'.
In late June, Easa had to agree that "the technology available today in airplane cockpits is not sufficient to guarantee safety standards if there is only one pilot in the cabin, for issues related to the management of workloads, the health (including mental health) of pilots, and the management of any emergencies or unforeseen situations during the course of the flight."
This does not mean that the 'single pilot' scenario has been cancelled forever. But, as Easa explained further, technology will be needed to enable even greater automation and even more efficient human-machine interactionfor the 'single pilot' philosophy to be implemented without going to the detriment of the very high safety standards of air transportation.
