AirAsia pilots may have turned off plane computer system before crash,
report claims
The pilots of the AirAsia
flight which plunged into the Java
Sea
All 162 people on board
were killed when flight 8501 crashed on 28 December, en route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore, in
stormy weather.
On Thursday, Indonesian
investigators said that the less experienced co-pilot was flying the plane as
stall warnings began to sound, while the captain was monitoring him and
communicating air traffic control.
The Airbus A320-200
climbed so rapidly - probably to avoid the bad weather in the area - that it
lost lift and began falling.
The new report from Bloomberg, which cites two unnamed sources “with knowledge of the
investigation”, said that pilots had shut down power to a flight protection
system after trying to deal with a string of alerts from it.
The separate computers,
which serve as back-up to each other, control the plane’s rudder - preventing it from making turns that are too sharp - and prevent
the aircraft from going too slowly. If they lose power or go wrong they will
shut down.
But it is not clear why
the crew should have turned them off, nor why the plane then went into a steep
climb, as the pilots should still have been able to fly the plane manually.
Investigators did not
comment publicly on whether the flight augmentation computers were turned off in their
Thursday briefing. They said their final report would not be ready for at least
six to seven months.
The flight and cockpit
data recorders showed that the jet was cruising at a stable altitude of 32,000
feet when the plane made a sharp left and the crew contacted ground control
requesting permission to climb to 38,000 feet. Controllers in Jakarta
The chief investigator of
Indonesia
He added that the jet had
been in a dangerously fast climb and stalled before falling to 24,000 feet, the
last position recorded on radar.
“In many cases, the engine is not strong enough to fly in this high angle,” Siswosuwarno said.
“In many cases, the engine is not strong enough to fly in this high angle,” Siswosuwarno said.
He said investigators
were examining whether turbulence or updrafts were a
factor in the steep climb.
Ertata Lananggalih,
another investigator with the National Transportation Safety Committee, said
the pilots were conscious during the three minute descent and trying to control
the plane.
The Wall Street Journal
reported that unnamed sources indicated that it was the first officer’s control
stick which pulled the plane’s nose up.
Reuters meanwhile
reported that officials believed Captain Iriyanto, 53, an Indonesia
The investigation team
told reporters that the aircraft was in sound condition when it took off and
all crew members properly certified.
Asked about the status of
the flight augmentation computers prior to the crash, a spokesperson for Air
Asia said: “We are unable to comment at this time as we would like to avoid
adding to speculations while the investigation
by The National Transportation Safety Commission is still ongoing.”
Indonesian rescuers have
so far retrieved 72 bodies. Unconfirmed reports said another body may have been
found on Thursday, drifting around 1000km from the crash site.
網址: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/30/airasia-pilots-turned-off-planes-computer-system-before-crash-report
Key words
manually
手動地
augmentation 增加 增大
examine 檢查
turbulence (大氣)湍流
speculation 推測
augmentation 增加 增大
examine 檢查
turbulence (大氣)湍流
speculation 推測
What: AirAsia pilots may have turned off plane computer system before crash,
report claims
Where: the Java
Sea
When:
last month
Why: the
plane crashed in the Java Sea
How: NOT
GIVEN
