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Taking the pilot out of the loop can be bad..

Posted Jun 22 2005 - 2:14am by rlarson
Filed under Accident | Computer controlled | Plane

As much as I am used to using autopilots when flying the airplane, I wouldn't recommend that you just trust it completely. I have personally seen an autopilot disconnect on an approach into an airport and it can be kind of scary. So after I had that happen, I keep a keen eye on all the automated systems when I fly.

This Video shows what can happen when a computer system malfunctions. This is an Airbus A320. Apparently the computer would not let the pilot throttle up after a low pass over the runway. Amazingly only 3 people on board were killed.

Here is a write up on what happened.

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cover up

Jason Striegel's picture

The wierd thing about that one is that apparantly there was a 10 day period where the black box wasn't in police custody and it was shown to have been tampered with.

The pilot was found guilty of manslaughter or the equivalent, but there is reasonable reason to suspect that his prosecution was an attempt to cover up a public relations nightmare. Weren't there like 4 similar crashes with the A320 during approach?

Anyway, the real reason to leave the pilot in the loop is because they need to have a little fun from time to time... that and nobody would trust a computer to manage this craziness. [via]

By Jason Striegel at June 22, 2005 - 5:32am | login or register to post comments | email this page