Flight 8501: Computer glitch and crew's response led to AirAsia crash into Java Sea
World
Flight 8501: Computer glitch and crew’s response led to AirAsia crash into Java Sea
A chronically faulty flight control computer, which controls an airliner’s rudder movement, and the crew’s attempt to fix the problem were among the factors that contributed to the crash of an AirAsia passenger jet last December, killing all 162 aboard, Indonesian investigators revealed on Tuesday. The faulty computer sent repeated warning messages to the pilots. When they received a fourth warning, the pilots pulled circuit breakers on one of the aircraft’s computers, removing power from the faulty system in a bid to reset it. But in doing so, they also turned off the plane’s autopilot.
Subsequent flight crew action resulted in inability to control the aircraft … causing the aircraft to depart from the normal flight envelope and enter a prolonged stall condition that was beyond the capability of the flight crew to recover.
Statement from Indonesian investigators
Before crashing, the plane climbed fast and went into an aerodynamic stall, losing lift. The airliner’s co-pilot was at the controls in the moments before the crash, rather than the more experienced pilot. Flight QZ8501 went down in stormy weather on Dec. 28 during what was supposed to be a short flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore. Rescuers faced difficulties in the choppy waters of the Java Sea, but the main body of the plane was eventually located on the seabed by a Singapore navy ship, and both black box data recorders were recovered. Search efforts were finally called off in March after almost three months of hunting.
