Old, but interesting topic
"Peter Dohm" wrote in message
.. .
"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
Peter Dohm writes:
I did not read anything to suggest that the cockpit door of the Helios
737
was ever locked. Admittedly, I did not see fit to research this
incident at
length--and I also am not familiar with Helios procedures.
In the detailed official report, the circumstances of the accident were
reproduced and recorded. It was possible to verify that sounds on the
flight
deck included the sound of the cockpit door unlocking (after an
electrical
power loss subsequent to flameout of the engines).
The flight deck was locked. The purser presumably had a code with which
to
enter the flight deck, but he was unconscious. The people still
conscious
did
not have the code. They were unable to enter the flight deck until the
engines flamed out due to a lack of fuel, at which point the loss of
electrical power unlocked the cockpit door. By then, however, they were
only
a few minutes away from a crash, and they had no power at all.
The Helios case, however, seems much more interesting as an argument
against
fully automated passenger carrying aircraft. Presuming that the report
was
correct, regarding the outflow valve being left in manual/open; then
there
is further reason to suppose that other flight crews may have found and
corrected similar errors before they became incidents or accidents.
As I recall, a leaky door caused gradual depressurization. The flight
deck
confused the low pressure alarm with another alarm and ignored it. Soon
thereafter everyone had passed out from hypoxia, including the pilots. A
lack
of automation would not have helped.
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