How could the pilots land the aircraft as according to reports the autothrottle system remained armed?
A. Because the throttles on the Boeing planes are “real” throttles, in the sense that the engine fuel controllers respond to the mechanical movement of those throttles, by the pilots. In other words, even if the autothrottle system cannot be turned off, the pilots can overpower any automatic movements of those throttles, just by the pilot holding those throttles in what ever position he wants them. It is my understanding that the throttles on Airbus planes are not “real” in that sense. If the autoflight system on an Airbus plane commands more engine thrust, but the pilot disagrees, the autoflight computers win the battle and the pilot pulling the Airbus thrust levers back towards idle, will not reduce the computer-commanded engine thrust. If any airbus pilot finds that not to be an accurate statement (I flew Boeing airliners, but never any Airbus airliners), then please send me an Email and I will be happy to correct. This is the first time I have ever heard of this kind of incident on
