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An md-80 pilot reported he feels the procedure to engage the md-80 autopilot at 500 ft on departure is faulty and even dangerous.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 881821 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201003 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | Initial Climb |
| Route In Use | SID ZZZ |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural Other / Unknown |
Narrative:
Just my thoughts on the procedure to turn the [md-80] autopilot on at 500 ft AGL. I am glad that there have not been any deviations on the sids with this new procedure. Anyone that has flown the 80 for any amount of time knows that the autopilot is extremely slow to react both vertically and laterally. Just the other day out of ZZZ the autopilot barely maintained the magenta line with the strong winds. I understand that the majority of the SID deviations where due to inputting the wrong runway. Turning the autopilot on would not have changed a thing in those deviations. Unfortunately I feel that it is just a matter of time before someone experiences a departure stall on a low overcast cruddy day. This procedure is unsafe and should be changed immediately.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: An MD-80 pilot reported he feels the procedure to engage the MD-80 autopilot at 500 FT on departure is faulty and even dangerous.
Narrative: Just my thoughts on the procedure to turn the [MD-80] autopilot on at 500 FT AGL. I am glad that there have not been any deviations on the SIDS with this new procedure. Anyone that has flown the 80 for any amount of time knows that the autopilot is EXTREMELY slow to react both vertically and laterally. Just the other day out of ZZZ the autopilot barely maintained the magenta line with the strong winds. I understand that the majority of the SID deviations where due to inputting the wrong runway. Turning the autopilot on would not have changed a thing in those deviations. Unfortunately I feel that it is just a matter of time before someone experiences a departure stall on a low overcast cruddy day. This procedure is UNSAFE and should be changed immediately.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.