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Computer Faulted In Jet Jolt

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2008

CANBERRA, Australia - A faulty computer unit likely caused a Qantas jetliner to experience two terrifying midair plunges within minutes last week, an Australian investigator said Tuesday.

More than 40 people were injured when the Airbus A330-300 briefly nose-dived twice during a flight from Singapore to the western Australian city of Perth on Oct. 7.

Julian Walsh, chief air investigator at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said an investigation indicated the cause was a computer unit that detects the angle of the plane against the airstream. He said one of the plane's units sent the wrong data to the main flight computers.

The flight data recorder indicated the plane, carrying 303 passengers and a crew of 10, climbed about 200 feet from its cruising level of 37,000 feet and then went into a nose-dive, dropping about 650 feet in 20 seconds.

The Associated Press

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