I admit to being arrogant, perhaps that's an inevitable side effect of being confident. When proven wrong, however, which has happened on HN (!) I try to admit it. I don't like making mistakes.

I'm not offended, as that's to be expected when I write things that are unpopular.

But I still accept your apology, and no worries. Perhaps we can engage again in the future!

P.S. I know about the simulator issues, but the information came filtered through a journalist and I am skeptical. What I cannot reconcile is the first incident where the deadhead pilot simply turned off the switch, compared with the simulator pilot. It didn't matter whether the runaway trim was the root cause. It did matter that runaway trim will kill you and it must be stopped. All three crews knew that, which is why they fought it.

In my work on the stab trim system, it was accepted that the first resort for trim failure was turning the thing off. Overhead in the 757 is a matrix of circuit breakers, the purpose of each is to turn off a malfunctioning system. The stab trim one, being critical, isn't located overhead but right there on the console.

I work with machinery all the time. When it fails, my first reflex is to always turn it off. For example, one day I smelled smoke. Looking around, smoke was coming out of my computer box. I could see fire through the grille. The very first thing I did was yank the plug out of the wall, the second was to take the box outside. The flames went out when the current was removed.

I simply do not understand failing to turn off a runaway trim system. Especially when it kept coming back on after normal trim was restored.

For another example, an engine fire. I don't know what the fire checklist says, but I bet right at the top it says to activate the fire extinguishers and cut off the fuel and electric power to the engine. I've done the same for an engine fire in my car :-)