On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:35:08 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Now they're looking at the pilot's possibly having the
autopilot on during the descent into and during the icing conditions,
against company policy. Anyone who has flown an autopilot will know
that it isn't the smartest beast and can cause problems. See
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...BGCYgD96CNPN81

Dan

"The Dash 8 Q400 plane, operated by Colgan Air, was equipped with a
"stick shaker" and "stick pusher" mechanism that rattles the yoke to
warn the pilot if the plane is about to lose aerodynamic lift, a
condition called a stall. If not corrected in time, the mechanism
automatically pushes the stick forward to avert a stall.

Chealander said the plane was on autopilot until the "stick shaker" and
"stick pusher" kicked in, automatically putting the plane back in the
pilot's hands.

At some point, the pilot switched on an anti-stall device that increases
the speed of the plane by 20 knots and gives a pilot more margin to
recover from a stall if it occurs.

Asked whether the pilot might have overreacted by pulling the stick back
when it automatically went forward, Chealander said, "Yes, it's
possible."

================================================== =======================

Isn't this counter to pulling back on the yoke, cutting power and speed,
when you get nose pitch due to tail icing?