Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
Shortly after departing Fort Lauderdale, the pilots of American Airlines Flight 794 reported that they had lost their autopilot functions, flight directors and autothrottles.
The crew elected to return to Fort Lauderdale while manually flying the aircraft and coordinating their arrival with air traffic control.
Captain Steeeve—a retired airline captain with more than four decades of aviation experience—reacts to the ATC recording and explains what each of these systems normally does, how serious the loss of automation can be, and why losing the autopilot does not mean that the pilots have lost control of the airplane.
For business inquiries email us at: captainsteeeve@wearebv.com
For press or general questions: peter@541co.com
Disclaimer: Captain Steeeve is not a spokesperson for any airline or aviation authority. The opinions expressed in this video are solely his own and are based on his experience as a professional pilot. This analysis is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as an official statement from any airline, regulatory agency, or aviation organization.
Want to know what watch I'm wearing?
If you are from the US, visit Watchbuys.com and go to the PRIMUS collection under Hanhart. For everyone else, visit hanhart.com/en/.
#americanairlines #Flight794 #CaptainSteeeve #aviation #airbusa321 #autopilot #Autothrottle #pilot #atc #ATCAudio #emergencylanding #fortlauderdale #airlinepilots #flightsafety
Shortly after departing Fort Lauderdale, the pilots of American Airlines Flight 794 reported that they had lost their autopilot functions, flight directors and autothrottles.
The crew elected to return to Fort Lauderdale while manually flying the aircraft and coordinating their arrival with air traffic control.
Captain Steeeve—a retired airline captain with more than four decades of aviation experience—reacts to the ATC recording and explains what each of these systems normally does, how serious the loss of automation can be, and why losing the autopilot does not mean that the pilots have lost control of the airplane.
For business inquiries email us at: captainsteeeve@wearebv.com
For press or general questions: peter@541co.com
Disclaimer: Captain Steeeve is not a spokesperson for any airline or aviation authority. The opinions expressed in this video are solely his own and are based on his experience as a professional pilot. This analysis is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as an official statement from any airline, regulatory agency, or aviation organization.
Want to know what watch I'm wearing?
If you are from the US, visit Watchbuys.com and go to the PRIMUS collection under Hanhart. For everyone else, visit hanhart.com/en/.
#americanairlines #Flight794 #CaptainSteeeve #aviation #airbusa321 #autopilot #Autothrottle #pilot #atc #ATCAudio #emergencylanding #fortlauderdale #airlinepilots #flightsafety
