How do pilots do the “wrong” thing and crash, in a few short sentences? Well, there are technical answers, and there are human factors. On the technical side the short answer is, it’s not always easy. There have been accidents where an engine has failed and the pilot NEVER realized he’d had an engine quit. Sometimes an engine only partially fails. It can be tough to tell which engine is rough?
On the human side, things get even more complex. Panic sets in. Pilots get “task saturated” and just can’t process what they are looking at. Sometimes in haste they just grab the wrong lever.
The bottom line is, it takes a lot of training and then a lot of practice after the initial training to be ready when the time comes.
Case in point is the pilot that dropped that airliner in the Hudson.
That guy deserves every accolade the nation can give him.
That took balls of steel and nerves of iron.
Brilliant, Thank you. :)