Only if the tail came off or something, there’s just not a big enough debris spread for a Lockerbie type breakup in flight. Chances are pretty good it is the AOA sensor failure Airbus pushed an emergency airworthiness directive out about earlier this month - basically, unless you realize something has gone wrong and you not only switch the craft out of autopilot but into full manual control, the aircraft goes nose down and holds it even if you pull the stick all the way back. Read that again - unless you realize what is happening and that the artificial horizon on the panel and the computer are both wrong, and that you not only have to switch out of autopilot but switch into full manual flight (two separate tasks on an Airbus) the plane will cheerfully auger in even if you are telling it nose up, climb.
Direct quote from the Airworthiness Directive: “An occurrence was reported where an Airbus A321 encountered a blockage of two Angle Of Attack (AOA) probes during climb, leading to activation of the Alpha Protection (Alpha Prot) while the Mach number increased. The flight crew managed to regain full control and the flight landed uneventfully.
When Alpha Prot is activated due to blocked AOA probes, the flight control laws order a continuous nose down pitch rate that, in a worst case scenario, cannot be stopped with backward sidestick inputs, even in the full backward position. If the Mach number increases during a nose down order, the AOA value of the Alpha Prot will continue to decrease. As a result, the flight control laws will continue to order a nose down pitch rate, even if the speed is above minimum selectable speed, known as VLS.”
I mentioned and posted that AD a while ago in a different thread.
There’s not enough data to reach any conclusions yet.
We don’t know the size of the debris field yet.
It shouldn’t be long before we have a lot of solid information.
About what I would expect from a plane made by euro-nannies. Can’t allow a pilot to fly the plane.
I don’t have a lot of confidence in Asian pilots either (if that was in fact who was flying the plane). I have heard that they have trouble thinking outside of the operations manual in an emergency.
This business of the Airbus FCS taking final control out of the pilot’s hands is unthinkable. It works to make the pilot a bystander when it comes to the ultimate control of the plane for which he/she is supposed to be PIC. From what I have read, Airbus philosophy is 180 degrees from that of Boeing. After what has happened recently, you won’t find me on an Airbus.
Seems a good time to repeat the old slogan......”if it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going”.
OK, total clueless question. Another post above said its in about 75 feet of water. If the plane nosed straight in, I would assume at throttle position in effect before the comp went bad, would it pancake on impact or auger into the bottom?
Braniff Airways Flight 542, a Lockheed Model L-188A (Electra) airplane
“The major portion of the airplane struck the ground in a nearly vertical attitude. Impact forces formed a crater measuring 30 feet across and 12 feet deep. Most of the airplane forming the crater disintegrated and buried.”
http://lessonslearned.faa.gov/ll_main.cfm?TabID=2&LLID=7&LLTypeID=2
Sounds like it was designed by idiots.
Wonder how many crashes it will take before Airbus is sued out of existence.
Lockerbie was a totally different category. As were MH17 and MH370 (as far as we know). Foul play in all three cases (probably in the second degree, in the case of MH17).
Chances are pretty good it is the AOA sensor failure Airbus pushed an emergency airworthiness directive out about earlier this month - basically, unless you realize something has gone wrong and you not only switch the craft out of autopilot but into full manual control, the aircraft goes nose down and holds it even if you pull the stick all the way back. Read that again - unless you realize what is happening and that the artificial horizon on the panel and the computer are both wrong, and that you not only have to switch out of autopilot but switch into full manual flight (two separate tasks on an Airbus) the plane will cheerfully auger in even if you are telling it nose up, climb.
Eurotwits can be deadly!
Air Asia 8501. When will we learn?
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/12/air_asia_8501_when_will_we_learn.html
Gotta love Fly-by-wire...not.
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