EMI and Other Factors to Be Examined in Qantas Airbus PlungeThe Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is carrying out an investigation into what caused a Qantas Airbus A330-300 to make an uncontrolled climb and dive that resulted in injuries to 74 passengers, with 51 requiring hospital care for serious injuries including fractures, lacerations, and spinal damage. Qantas flight QF72 was bound from Singapore to Perth. As the plane approached the west coast of Australia, it went into an uncontrolled ascent of 200 feet and then suddenly nosedived about 650 feet in 20 seconds and soon took another dive of 400 feet in about 16 seconds before leveling-off. A mayday was declared, and the crew landed at Learmonth Airport, where the damaged plane remains. Australian media outlets have been rife with speculation that passengers using laptops and creating electromagnetic interference may have played havoc with the plane’s navigation controls. Other sources pointed to flaws in the plane’s control software. The investigation is ongoing, and the ATSB has shared information from the two recovered flight data recorders with Qantas, the French Bureau of d’Enquêtes et Analyses (BEA), and Airbus as parties to the investigation. The ATSB will distribute surveys to all passengers and will conduct interviews with injured passengers to understand what occurred in the aircraft’s cabin. A press briefing on the investigation can be found on the ATSB website. The use of wireless phones and laptops by airline passengers remains controversial although more of the world’s airlines are allowing their use. Share your view by weighing in on the Interference Technology NEBS/Telecom Forum.
EMI and Other Factors to Be Examined in Qantas Airbus Plunge
