Fact Check: How does autopilot match up to a (good) pilot?

Investigators believe pilots of the Lion Air B737 MAX 8 weren’t fully conversant with the plane’s automated systems. The aircraft in the Ethiopian crash was a Boeing of the same make.

Except when landing or taking off, modern aircraft largely fly on their own. In the aftermath of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes, questions have been raised over automation. Investigators believe pilots of the Lion Air B737 MAX 8 weren’t fully conversant with the plane’s automated systems. The aircraft in the Ethiopian crash was a Boeing of the same make.

On March 12, President Donald Trump tweeted: “Airplanes are becoming far too complex… Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT… Seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Complexity creates danger… I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!”

Is too much automation making aircraft unsafe?

The criticism

Critics of “over-automation” say pilots spend more time trying to understand complicated automated systems than actually flying, The New York Times reported, based on multiple interviews with pilots and instructors. If computers malfunction at any time, a pilot who is more a “systems operator” than an aviator could be too late reacting.