Florida Fatal crash after issue with AP ?

[FlyingTiger]

A car a single axis- the gas, so it is probably a bit too complicated to try and do the same thing for most GA autopilot systems that have multiple axis/servos.

That said, in larger aircraft like airliners, you do have autopilot disconnects associated with control movement. FWIW, that feature in the L-1011 was directly related to the Eastern Everglades crash.

This crash may be the GA version of the New Zealand A320 that crashed in 2008. Autopilot was getting contradictory indications due to frozen angle of attack indicators and disengaged with full up trim. The pilot missed a warning message, failed to correct the trim and couldn't level the aircraft with normal control inputs resulting in stall and crash in the ocean.

Seems to me a nice safety feature of an AP would be for it to return the trim to neutral whenever it disengages due to control inputs or data discrepancies.

 

[MAKG1]

Seems to me a nice safety feature of an AP would be for it to return the trim to neutral whenever it disengages due to control inputs or data discrepancies.

How will it know where "neutral" is with data discrepancies? It's not the center of range, and any uncommanded pitch change is not a safety feature.

 

[Pbtx0]

In 2005 when he wrecked is P-model on an instrument approach in Ukiah, CA he had 1450 hrs with 54 actual and 90 simulated IFR.

This definitely makes me think a medical issue or extreme stress was the issue of his inability. This guy was no newbie.

 

[mkosmo]

How will it know where "neutral" is with data discrepancies? It's not the center of range, and any uncommanded pitch change is not a safety feature.

The more this thread goes on, I'm surprised nobody engineered an auto-trim solution that reads control column input and automatically nulls them. Man, as cool as it sounds, that'd be one hell of a wild ride.

Actually, come to think of it, the thought kinda sounds like Airbus's FBW implementation.

 

[weilke]

The more this thread goes on, I'm surprised nobody engineered an auto-trim solution that reads control column input and automatically nulls them. Man, as cool as it sounds, that'd be one hell of a wild ride.

The 'Mitchell Auto Trim' did just that. You hold the pitch in the position you need it, push a button and it trims until the tension on the up and down elevator cable is equal (it used a mechanical sensor with some microswitches).

 

[FlyingTiger]

How will it know where "neutral" is with data discrepancies? It's not the center of range, and any uncommanded pitch change is not a safety feature.

Hey, I'm just the idea man, I'll leave those details to the engineers

 

[PaulS]

Hey, I'm just the idea man, I'll leave those details to the engineers

I think I used to work for you.

 

[Shawn]

The pair have been identified as Washington residents Robert Stimmel and Maria Stimmel, aged 61 and 45 respectively.

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/names-couple-killed-orlando-plane-crash-released/npT5Z/

Been following this thread lightly but just learned through other channels that I knew the pilot that went down. He was an icon in the Wakeboarding world and I had the opportunity to work with him on a few projects a couple of years ago.

I did not know he was a pilot but had the right mindset to be a proficient pilot.

RIP.

 

[Gubbins]

I read on another board that his new wife was a student pilot. He was not a CFI so that could have been an extra distraction/workload item for him if he was playing that role in some way. Any report on whether he was in the left or right seat?

 

[FlyerJosh]

I know that this thread is older, but I was wondering if anybody had saved the audio file that is being referenced. Would like to try to find it for use at a safety seminar.