Author Topic: Airbus control problems?  (Read 3251 times)

Offline Baradium

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Airbus control problems?
« on: January 12, 2008, 07:51:46 AM »
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080111.EMERGENCY11/TPStory/National

Quote
FLIGHT 190: TOSSED AROUND LIKE RAG DOLLS

15 seconds of terror
Everything seemed normal for the 88 people on board an Air Canada flight from Victoria to Toronto yesterday morning. Twenty minutes into the flight, the drama began as the Airbus A319 dropped in the sky
PETER CHENEY , BRENT JANG and DAWN WALTON AND NORVAL SCOTT

January 11, 2008

TORONTO, CALGARY -- An Air Canada jet that went on a terrifying roller-coaster ride at 35,000 feet that put 10 people in hospital has left a host of questions about what caused the frightening plunges and rolls.

Yesterday, a transportation safety official said the Airbus A319 jet encountered control problems that will be the subject of an inquiry by Canadian federal aviation authorities.

Investigators are expected to look at the Airbus jet's computer-controlled flight system, also known as fly-by-wire, which was first introduced by the aircraft maker in 1987.

"I knew on that first lurch that this is not turbulence," said Jayne Harvey, a 45-year-old nurse from Keswick, Ont. Ms. Harvey, a veteran traveller, said the jet made a series of violent manoeuvres that threw passengers around the cabin. Minutes later, the captain came on the intercom and announced a "computer malfunction," and that he was flying the aircraft manually.

 Nisha Gill, 30, was seated in the 12th row with her 2-year-old daughter Riya - both of them wearing seatbelts - on their way to Toronto for a family visit when suddenly the plane began to shake and food and drinks went flying.

"[I've been in ] turbulence, but this was more," she said, "I was thinking that's it. That is the last moments. It was quite scary."

Although there has been no official comment on what caused the incident, veteran pilots who spoke to The Globe and Mail said the Airbus may have hit severe turbulence that wreaked havoc on its systems as it was thrown around the sky, creating problems with its computerized autopilot or software-driven flight controls.

Airbus officials declined to discuss the incident, saying the aircraft manufacturer does not comment on speculation.

Air Canada also refused to talk about the technicalities of the event: "Our focus today has been on those passengers who have been injured in this incident and those other passengers on the aircraft for whom this has been a very stressful experience," Air Canada executive vice-president Robert Reid said in a statement.

The Air Canada jet took off from Victoria yesterday at 6:25 a.m. for a planned flight to Toronto, carrying 83 passengers and five flight crew. About 20 minutes later, the drama began, as the A319 cruised at 35,000 feet.

Ms. Harvey, a frequent flyer, said she felt a sudden bump, followed by a dramatic roll to the left that left the wings pointing directly toward the ground and the sky. She said she felt wrenching movements as the pilots fought to level out the plane. Ms. Harvey, sitting next to the window in row 23 with her seatbelt fastened, watched as a woman in front of her was thrown into another passenger, then back across the aisle, smashing her face into an armrest.

After recovering control of the plane, the pilots diverted to Calgary, where eight passengers and two crew members were taken away by ambulance. By yesterday afternoon, nine were out of hospital and officials expected the 10th to be released a short time later.

The allusion to a computer malfunction prompted some passengers to wonder if the airplane's computerized control systems contributed to the incident. "I don't know if it was knocked out and that's what caused the lurching of the plane or it was knocked out because of the lurch," Ms. Harvey said. "I have no idea. But he said we're manually flying the plane and we'll be landing in Calgary."

Andrew Evans, on his way to Washington, D.C. from Victoria, was seated at the front of the plane. "All of a sudden [there were] three big drops," said the 46-year-old. "...There was a crash. The cart tipped over and there was a lot of squealing. It was over and done with in 10 or 15 seconds."

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada sent investigators to Calgary yesterday from its regional office in Edmonton to examine the scene and gather data. TSB spokesman John Cottreau said it was too early to determine what caused the midair disruption, but released a few details, including the fact that the A319's control problems occurred at an altitude of 35,000 feet, in U.S. airspace. Canadian officials have asked U.S. authorities for air traffic control tapes as part of the data-gathering process.

The TSB will commence its inquiry by compiling a set of facts about Air Canada Flight 190, then decide on whether to launch a formal investigation, Mr. Cottreau said.

"The aircraft encountered control problems and the captain declared an emergency," he said. "We should let the experts out in the field gather the data first, and we'll find out the answers to what happened, how and why it happened," Mr. Cottreau said.

Transport Canada spokeswoman Lucie Vignola said it's premature to draw conclusions about the safety of Air Canada's fleet of 39 Airbus A319's. "You should be wary of blaming anything at this point," she said, adding the Air Canada flight leaves many questions unanswered.

Questions about the Airbus fly-by-wire system were raised soon after the 1987 launch of the A320 (the aircraft the A319 is based on.) In 1988, an A320 crashed at a French air show when the pilot tried to make a low, slow pass over the runway. When the pilot advanced the throttles, the airplane didn't respond. It was later determined that the airplane's software had determined the pilot was landing, because he was at an altitude of just 30 feet, with the landing gear extended, and prevented him from applying full power.

The flight profile

Radar tracking data of Air Canada's Flight 190 from FlightAware, a U.S. firm that tracks commercial flights, shows three dramatic altitude changes.

FLYING BY WIRE

The Airbus A319 uses a "fly-by-wire" system that dispenses with the traditional hydraulic or mechanical connections that link the pilot's controls to the airplane's flight surfaces. When the pilot of an A319 moves the control stick, commands are sent to computers that actuate remote motors that move the wing and tail surfaces.


Note: I didn't quote the "tracking data" which is just a list of altitudes.  You can go to the link if you want to see it.
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Offline Frank N. O.

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Re: Airbus control problems?
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2008, 06:37:09 AM »
I think I heard about that in the CNN radio news sent hourly on the internet radio station I normally hear comedy from. Any news on what happend yet?

Frank
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Offline Oddball

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Re: Airbus control problems?
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2008, 09:08:41 AM »
as i always say give my fly-by-cable lol
"You can teach monkeys to fly better than that!"and "spring chicken to sh**e hawk in one easy lesson"