Children of the Magenta Line v2.0
The issue is not new, ref the video I used to title this reply. The magenta line is the path programmed into the autoflight system, which the current generation of ab-initio pilots are dependent on.
Accidents with similar root causes have happened since Asiana 214 - see the Airbus wreck in Pakistan, where the pilots did a FUBAR descent, scraped engines on the runway, rejected the landing, and finished the crash after a dual engine failure on the downwind leg. Another doozie happened in India, where the crew tried to hurry in during heavy rain, flew an unstabilized approach, and then overran the runway (smashing into a brick wall).
I do not blame the pilots. Like Cerberus, some airlines insist that we "stay profiecient" while at the same time insisting that we engage the autopilot as soon as practicable after takeoff, keeping it on until nearing the runway on landing. No BS -- I used to hand fly from takeoff until cruise during my last job in the USA. When that company closed, I found myself in Asia, in a company with more money than sense. They would analyse flight data and call us on the phone to complain if they saw my long periods of hand flying. The young copilots were afraid to buck the bosses, so they became dependent on the autoplot. They were really bad at landing. Not just in crosswinds and gusty conditions, but often on smooth days. They scared the cr*p out of me multiple times.
There are two pilots in the front seats because THREAT ERROR MANAGEMENT works better when two people are working together to stay within the safety margins.
This is an airline management problem. They see autopilots as "liability management" where programming skill seems superior to manual flying ability. I tell you, pilots need to hand fly much more often than they do, in order to exercise those skills. It is a brain exercise as much as it is one involving hands, eyes, and feet.
Children of the Magenta Line is no mere "boomer complaint." It is a real issue; going to single pilot ops is going to make things much worse.