> What I'm wondering about is why the plane allows a pilot to take a fatal action. For example, why would an auto-pilot system allow a jetliner to nose dive? Ma

> What I'm wondering about is why the plane allows a pilot to take a fatal action. For example, why would an auto-pilot system allow a jetliner to nose dive? Maybe it does not. I believe it doesn't (not an expert though), as it'll assume you've lost control of the airplane and will try to recover. However in this case the descent was at a fairly standard speed. But yeah the autopilot will not override the pilot if the airplane seems under control.