American's upset training
In the late 1990s American Airlines put all its pilots through what it then called its Advanced Aircraft Manoeuvring Programme (AAMP). This idea was spawned by various events in which aircraft had gone out of control, particularly the USAir Boeing 737-400 that plunged at night from 6,000ft (2,000m) into the ground during its approach to Pittsburgh in September 1994. The National Transportation Safety Board says the probable cause was rapid roll caused by an uncommanded rudder hard-over movement. Theoretically, the aircraft was recoverable, but only if the crew were appropriately trained. Since the original AAMP, says American, it has put the Trans World Airlines pilots that joined when it acquired the carrier through the full course, but since then it has not hired any new flightcrew so its existing pilots get training in the simulator on procedures for "unusual attitude recovery" as a part of their normal recurrent training. American says it still believes - however rare flight upsets are - that since fewer airline pilots now have been through military training and have therefore never been exposed to extreme attitudes, they need to learn how to react if they are.
Source: Flight International
