Is auto-pilot required for airline operations?

[VirtualAviator]

In the real world, is auto-pilot required equipment for airline operations? The auto-pilot is one of those systems that uses humans for redundancy, right? If it fails, is it legal to continue to your intended destination?

Just curious.

Thanks,

[daemotron]

It might depend on the aircraft type and expected flight duration / routing / weather conditions. One famous case where an aircraft was dispatched with an INOP autopilot (assigned to MEL) was ValuJet Flight 592 (the NTSB report states this in section 1.6.6).

Generally the autopilot is not considered as critical system - the EASA e.g. classifies it as category D item (shall be fixed within 120 days), however with these annotations:

Quote

• 22-10-1 Autopilot: Any increase in crew workload has to be considered for the intended operations. Any additional limitations, such as flight duration, may result from this consideration.
• 22-10-1B Autopilot: Depending upon the use of the autopilot in routine procedures, single pilot CAT operations may be restricted to day VMC only.

So it's legal to fly with an INOP autopilot - not just when it fails in flight, but it's also legal to start a flight with the AP assigned to MEL. However, I cannot imagine airlines leave autopilots unfixed on long haul aircraft for several months, since it would limit the flight duration or require additional crew members.