Posted on 08/22/2010 12:52:55 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
154 lives were lost when Spanair Flight 5022 crashed moments after taking off from Madrid-Barajas International Airport in 2008. Now documents from an investigation into the incident are showing that a malware infection may have been to blame. According to the investigation, the computer system used to monitor technical problems on the plane was infected with a trojan. As a result, there were no alerts or warnings for three technical issues which "if detected, may have prevented the plane from taking off." The investigation is still not complete and authorities are trying to determine just how the malware got onto the computer system in question. [MSNBC] Photo by Andy Mitchell Update: To clarify, the computer system in question is described as being on the ground—not on the plane itself—and used to monitor the state of critical systems prior to take off.
Please.
The crash was pilot error. The malware was on a maintenance computer.
The trojan had nothing to do with it.
I use that one all the time...! FREE! I LOVE IT..!
Free is always good!
If this is true; these punks need to be charged with murder.
No matter what it runs on this is potentially a real big deal. Perhaps the W0n should ground all air traffic until this is finally settled. He could stay on Aunt Martha until the fecal matter clears from the ocean and swim home.
Not according to the headline.
Which I understand is your point...
:D
I tell ya what. I want manual overides on stuff like cars and planes.
We all knew this day would eventually come......
You’ll be delighted to hear that the US Navy runs its ships on Windows NT...
Probably an infected personal thumb drive introduced into the system. I’d hate to think the land based computer was linked to a network of other computers (other than those on the aircraft).
Failed to set flaps and slats before take off? Guy in the right seat must have been diddling with the stew.
EL PAÍS had a similar article yesterday...
As confirmed by this article, “The aircraft had already attempted an earlier departure, which the pilot had aborted after noticing excessive temperature in an air intake. A series of technical faults, including retracted flaps and inoperative alarms, is believed to have triggered the tragedy.”
Victims of Spanair crash say they are “abandoned by authorities”
Two years on, families of 154 dead remember Barajas tragedy
JOSÉ A. HERNÁNDEZ ANA MARCOS
The association of victims of Spanair flight JK 5022, which crashed in Madrid on August 20, 2008, paid tribute on Friday to the 154 people who died in Spain’s worst airline accident in 25 years.
Two memorial services were held, one at Barajas airport and another in the Canary Islands, where the flight was headed and where many of the victims lived.
Besides honoring their dead, relatives also complained about delays in the court investigation, which they attribute to a lack of technical means and a lack of effective action by the attorney’s office.
“A chill in the soul” is how some association members described the disappointment they feel in the way the investigation into the accident is being handled. Others talked about “loneliness” and being “abandoned by the institutions.”
Following the heartfelt tribute to the 154 victims, association chairwoman Pilar Vera and other members of the board called a press conference to request more institutional support in their “calvary” and criticize the oblivion that they have fallen into.
“Following the parade of authorities [after the accident], a week later we were all alone,” said Vera. “A chill got into our souls, but despite thatwe will continue to fight.”
But Vera reserved her harshest criticism for the attorney, whom she said has spent very little time on the case, while praising the investigating judge, Juan David Pérez, who is exclusively dedicated to it. She also noted that the fact there are 70 lawyers involved means that the process is constantly delayed.
To illustrate the slow going, Vera said that two years after the crash, the judge is still waiting for the expert report on the causes of the accident, which took place a few seconds after takeoff from Barajas. The aircraft had already attempted an earlier departure, which the pilot had aborted after noticing excessive temperature in an air intake. A series of technical faults, including retracted flaps and inoperative alarms, is believed to have triggered the tragedy.
The Spanair computer that kept track of technical failures in the company’s aircraft was infected with viruses at the time of the tragic crash of Flight JK 5022 two years ago on Friday, according to an internal report.
The computer, which is located at the airline’s base in Palma de Mallorca, sets off an alarm on the monitor when it encounters three similar glitches in the same airplane. The aircraft that crashed shortly after takeoff in Barajas on August 20, 2008, killing 154, had three technical failures that were not recorded in time in the computer.
An internal company report, dated the day of the accident, indicates that the computer was infected with Trojan viruses, malicious programs that can damage the machine and leave it open to hacker attacks.
The accident’s victims association wants the investigating judge to ask Spanair for a list of all the incidents recorded in the computer in the days before and after the accident. The magistrate has agreed to their petition.
Additionally, it took Spanair around 24 hours to note its aircrafts’ technical failures in the computer’s files, as two airline mechanics have admitted in court. It is likely that Flight JK 5022 would not have taken off at all had its technical sheet been up to date.
Yeah sorry, wasn’t too clear on that point. Swordmaker must be behind all these stories blaming the OS.
Stupid journalists.
Probably playing with his new ipad.
I was just impressed with the bravery of today's bluejacket.
Don't tell them I said so.
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