I am a highly experienced Airbus Captain and check pilot. The Vanity Fair article is very well done. The conclusions weigh a little too heavy on the “automation is the problem” but the Human Factors angle is dead on.
IMO crash fascination is the same as rubbernecking.
Interstate traffic slows to a crawl for miles & when you pass the accident, the vehicles involved are already cleared from the roadway which is no longer blocked at all & yet people still slow to rubberneck.
I look once to see if police & emergency crews are present. If so, I drive on.
It is truly an honor to hear from you and read your post. I too was intrigued by the crew response to the situation and their delayed reaction in rousing the pilot. It has now been determined that the accumulation of ice crystals in the pitot tubes contributed to the accident and advisories have since been issued.
My love for aviation dates back to childhood when my mother worked for SAS and we flew to Europe on a Constellation. I was only 5 at the time but still recall stopping at Halifax to refuel. From my bedroom window in Queens NY, I would watch flights on their approach to (then) Idlewild Airport, and could identify each flight by time of day and carrier colors. Even then I longed for the day when I could work for Air France. The day I was hired was sublime.
Over the span of 20 years, I enjoyed the opportunity to travel on fam trips to familiarize us with different aircraft. When the B-747 was introduced to the fleet, we flew from JFK to YUL on Air Canada to board an AF 747 flight to CHI, simply for the experience. What a magnificent beast!
Just prior to leaving AF in 1986, I was afforded the opportunity to tour the flight operations center at Vilgenis just outside Paris, and watched a crew board a 747 simulator. It was fascinating to watch the equipment move at different angles, simulating some potential situation and seeing the crew react.
As you can imagine, the French took great pride in their participation in the development of the Airbus. The technology is most impressive and is designed to anticipate worse case scenarios. While this may reduce the possibility of pilot error, to a certain extent, it also contributed to pilot complacence. Perhaps this was also a contributing factor to AF447's accident in that it delayed the crew from recalling the pilot to the cockpit. By the time they resorted to waking him, it was too late. Hence, the human factor.
Again, thank you for the post and ping! I miss flying but relish in past memories.