Jean-Claude was in the left seat. He was senior to me, but I was flying. We were near the equator, where Mermoz and Guillaumet had once flown — but they, poor fellows, had not been at 35,000 feet! We entered the clouds at what looked like a soft spot in a squall line. At first it wasn’t bad, but then the turbulence came, and with it lightning that never stopped, as if ogres with lanterns were laughing around us.
This Did Not Happen
Key Takeaways:
- During a turbulent flight, the aircraft's pitot tubes froze, causing a loss of airspeed indication and an unexpected deep stall.
- The operating pilots, confused by the instrument readings, inadvertently worsened the stall by pulling up, contrary to the necessary recovery action.
- Senior Captain "Old Dubois" instinctively took control and recovered the aircraft from the unprecedented stall by pushing the nose down, a maneuver that restored airflow and control.
- The incident highlighted a critical gap in pilot training and aircraft design for extreme conditions, underscoring the invaluable role of deep experience and intuition in unforeseen emergencies.
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