Airbus – Air France 447 – Did Fly By Wire Contribute to Crash?
The internet is just chock-full of speculation about the cause of the Air France 447 crash. The pitot tubes, computer systems, and general design of the Airbus have all been the focus of theorists as root causes.
Information Week published an article that focused on the computer systems and the difference in safety philosphy between Airbus and Boeing. This blog has also briefly commented on the Airbus philosphy of “hard limits” in its programming of flight systems. Basically, a hard limit is a point where any pilot command to exceed the hard limit programmed into the system will not be honored, but will instead be reformed into an action that is approved. The comments to the InformationWeek article reflect an almost Apple fanboy defense of Airbus and its approach (versus the Boeing approach).
In any event, the point made by many is valid – there is a way to bypass the hard limits in the sytem. There are a few decent resources for discovering what the various limits placed within the Airbus are and when/how a pilot can override them. For those interested here are the links:
Finally, here is an Airbus video on fly by wire.
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