A proposed defense for the two pilots who went on automatic pilot themselves. (destination Minneapolis)
October 24, 2009
They had had an intense argument about the company and had both gotten very angry and sank down into thought about it (while whiling away time on the easy flight). It just stared as a normal considering of a topic, not with the intention of thinking about it for long, and not stopping in the review of the panels and indicators. But then, like a conscious thought that becomes a dream in sleep, they thought so intensely about the matter that they became oblivious to time, and the scanning of the instruments blurred. Had an alarm been indicated in one of the panels, they would have immediately come back into present perception, i.e., awoke from their trance of thought. It was like driving a car on automatic pilot and then being awakened by a sudden swerve of another driver and coming into full attention.
What is needed is a device to bring pilots periodically back into perception. Perhaps a report to be made every five or ten minutes.
This condition belongs to the human race and is not to be punished as rather dealt with rationally.