An adjunct mystery which never really was solved was whether the altitude hold light extinguished when the function disengaged. In both Gellert's and Oakes' cases, they noted the autopilot light went out when they bumped the columns. But Stockstill might have been deceived by the mismatched autopilot computers on N310EA. There are two autopilot systems, an "A" and a "B." Because the computers were mismatched, Loft's side required 15 pounds of pressure to disengage, and Stockstill's side required 20 pounds of pressure. Had Loft bumped the column with more than 15, but less than 20 pounds of pressure, Loft's altitude hold light would have gone out, and Stockstill's light would remain on, giving him the erroneous impression that the autopilot was still engaged and holding the plane at two thousand feet. This could be the case, however, only if Stockstill had selected the "A" computer, which would be unlikely as the switch for the "A" computer is on Loft's side of the control panel. Either way, the NTSB did not believe that this was a critical factor in the accident.
Repo, Donald Louis Loft, Robert Albin About Flight 401 Flight 401 - Possible Explanation Lockheed L-1011 Cockpit Lockheed L-1011 Landing Gear Lever Lockheed L-1011 Inside the Hell Hole Flight 401 - Flight Log Ghosts of Flight 401 - 1 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 2 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 3 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 4 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 5 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 6 The Flight 401 Was A Normal Flight Johnson, Charles Flight 401 Normal - Faulty Auto Pilot Song - The Ghost of Flight 401 - Lyrics Flight 401 - First Response Marquis, Robert Flight 401 - Survivors and those who were lost Raposa, Beverly Ghosts of Flight 401 - 7 Flight 401 - Flight Crew Fatal Photograph Possible Curse of Seminole Indians Miami International Airport Sighting Flight 401 Crash Site Hauntings
Eastern Airlines Flight 401 - Crash Investigation, Findings and Passenger List - Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute
