A B757-200 PILOT REPORTS THE AUTOTHROTTLES FAILED TO CAPTURE THE SELECTED MCP SPD ON A AUTOLAND APCH REQUIRING GAR THRUST TO RECOVER FROM A SLOW SPD.

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THE CAPT HAD FLOWN ONLY 2 TIMES IN LAST 3 MONTHS; LAST FLT ABOUT 30 DAYS AGO. FIRST LEG; A LITTLE RUSTY; BUT REALLY DOING FINE. NEW PROCS; WE ARE ALL STILL ADAPTING TO. OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE; HE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE SEEN THAT THE AUTOTHROTTLES DIDN'T CAPTURE THE SPD BUG; BUT COMPLACENCY IS A HUMAN FACTOR. I HAVE BEEN FLYING THIS PLANE ALMOST 8 YRS AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD SEEN THE AUTOTHROTTLES NOT CAPTURE THE BUG ON APCH; SO I MIGHT NOT HAVE CAUGHT IT EITHER ESPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY WE HAD 'NO LAND 3' ANNUNCIATION. I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE AUTOTHROTTLES ON THIS ACFT; I THINK THAT MAY BE THE CAUSE OF THE 'NO LAND 3' ANNUNCIATION WHICH DISAPPEARED AFTER THROTTLES WERE FIRE-WALLED; MAYBE SOMETHING TRIGGERED BY APCH MODE SIMULTANEOUSLY? MAYBE IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE ALTOGETHER THAT THE FDR (FLT DIRECTOR RECORDER) COULD POINT OUT. I WAS PLT MONITORING. WE HAD SEVERAL CHANGES IN XING RESTRS; LAST LEFT US HIGH AND FAST BY APCH; CAPT GOT IT ON PROFILE USING SPD BRAKES; NORMAL. INTERCEPTED THE LOC; CLRED FOR APCH; CAPT SELECTED APP PADDLE ON MCP. SIMULTANEOUSLY NOTICED 'NO LAND 3' ANNUNCIATION. I WAS LOOKING FOR WHICH EFI (ELECTRONIC FLT INST) SWITCH TO HIT TO SEE CTR RA; NORMALLY WHAT CAUSES 'NO LAND 3.' MY EYES WERE NOT DIRECTLY ON THE INSTS AS TRYING TO READ EFI SWITCH LABELING; KINDA DARK; MESSING WITH LIGHTING. I GOT THIS 'SEAT OF MY PANTS FEELING' THAT SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT. I LOOKED AT ADI (ATTITUDE DIRECTION INDICATOR); WAS YELLOW; FLASHING SLOW; AIRSPD INDICATING 120 KTS. I FIRE-WALLED THE THROTTLES; GUARDED YOKE; DID NOT DISCONNECT ANYTHING. INITIALLY I THOUGHT AUTOTHROTTLES WERE NOT ENGAGED; I LOOKED AT MCP AND SPD BAR WAS LIT. I DO NOT REMEMBER CONFIRMING ON ADI; BUT I BELIEVE THE AUTOTHROTTLES WERE ENGAGED; ORANGE SPD BUG WAS STILL ON 170. RECOVERED; THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL IN FLT DECK AFTER FIRE-WALLING THROTTLES. INITIALLY THOUGHT MAYBE FIRE PROB; HENCE NO GAR; WHEN SMELL WENT AWAY; EVERYTHING WAS STABLE; NO POINT IN GOING AROUND. LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. CAPT USED AUTOTHROTTLES WHICH OPERATED NORMALLY UNTIL ABOUT 1500 FT. FIREWALL THRUST FOR AIRSPD RECOVERY IS A PRETTY GOOD INDICATION OF AN 'EVENT;' ALONG WITH MY SHAKING HANDS AND DRY MOUTH. MY SIMULATOR TRAINING PAID OFF; LOTS OF CREDIT TO INSTRUCTORS AND TRAINING PROGRAM. ALSO N2 WAS EXCEEDED; 103.7 FOR :03. AS I STATED; FIREWALL THRUST; GUARDED YOKE; DID NOT DISCONNECT ANYTHING. NO ALT LOSS OR GAIN. I THINK THAT WHEN MAINT CHKS THE AUTOTHROTTLES THEY WILL PERFORM NORMALLY; AS THEY DID FOR US AFTER EVENT. I THINK THERE IS A MORE INSIDIOUS MECHANICAL PROB; THAT NEEDS TO BE FOUND. I WOULD LIKE THE FDR PULLED; BECAUSE I THINK IT MAY HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY. ALSO; THE FDR IS THE ONLY THING THAT COULD CONFIRM IF WHAT I THOUGHT WAS GOING ON; WAS ACTUALLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING. IF THERE WAS MORE CREW ERROR THAN JUST NOT CATCHING THE AIRSPD WHEN IT WAS JUST STARTING TO SHOW A DEV; THEN I WANT TO KNOW THAT. IF I NEED TRAINING; THEN I NEED TO KNOW THAT. MAYBE IF THE CAPT DID HAVE THE THROTTLES TURNED OFF (ALTHOUGH HE THOUGHT THEY WERE TURNED ON TOO); AND OUR RECALL IS TOTALLY FAULTY; THEN MAYBE THERE NEEDS TO BE A BETTER WAY OF ORAL COM BTWN PF AND PM THAT PART OF THE AUTO SYS HAS BEEN MANUALLY TURNED OFF; SO EVERYONE IS PAYING CLOSER ATTN. MY PERSONAL HABIT IS TO TURN OFF BOTH AUTOTHROTTLES AND AUTOPLT; OR HAVE BOTH ON. I AM AN ALL OR NOTHING PLT; TO AVOID A PROB; BUT AS I SAID; I THINK THE AUTOTHROTTLES WERE ENGAGED AND MALFUNCTIONING. REGARDLESS; I THINK THE FDR SHOULD BE PULLED.