UPS MD-11 crash at SDF

[MikeD]

Flying the plane doesn’t necessarily mean punching everything off, it means making the plane do what you were expecting it to do, but didn’t. The pilots I’ve seen who are flabbergasted at “it didn’t capture the glidepath (world ending chaos)”, versus “hmm. Didn’t capture for some reason, guess I’ll tap vertical speed and start get the autopilot descending.” Then work the issue time or give a crap permitting, or just accept it as is and continue to a landing. Versus making an event out of a non-event.

 

[JordanD]

Were you in one of the earlier 320s? If so, if you still have a ship number, that's an anomaly that should have been noted beause there was some sort of update for that a few years ago.

I believe so, but it's been probably a couple years since it happened, I haven't seen it since.

 

[JordanD]

Coming into PHX once the 321 was all “BIPBIPBIP, you’ve got it” in managed descent at an intermediate level off and I was all “mmmph push to level off.” For whatever reason, undetermined.

“Okay then”

But yeah, I don’t recall a circumstance in line flying where it became punch everything off.

I've seen the VCTRZ in DTW do some funky things when ATC gives you a constraint that wasn't pre-programmed. Staying in managed but clearly not making any attempt to level off and having to intervene. Last reason I had to dump everything was a helpful PM spinning up the missed altitude before the G/S had captured. "Heh, I've done this before, cancel my flight directors please before the AP realizes you just put it into open climb."