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A400M Airbus Flier crashed because of software issues

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Re: A400M Airbus Flier crashed because of software issues

#4

Post by bhaak »

There are not many details about why exactly the three engines stopped working and it's not yet officially announced. This article has been written with "information Spiegel Online received".

Two translated quotes: "The investigation yield a clear result: Shortly after the lift-off of the test machine, the computers send conflicting commands to the three engines which then powered off."

"Soon after the crash, experts of the German Air Force suspected a software issue with the fuel supply unit because such a fatal drop of power so soon after the start could hardly be explained differently."

So, not much information why the computers sent conflicting commands and also why the engines power down in such a situation.

Re: A400M Airbus Flier crashed because of software issues

#7

Post by tirant »

I am not surprised at all. There are a lot of contractors involved in the development of the software for the A400M, and they are basically competing for price and employing undergraduates making below €18K/year, which they replace every few months due to burnouts and bad working conditions. Projects get continuously delayed, and key people barely stay more than a couple of years.

Re: A400M Airbus Flier crashed because of software issues

#8

Post by lucaspiller »

bhaak wrote: post #4

There are not many details about why exactly the three engines stopped working and it's not yet officially announced. This article has been written with "information Spiegel Online received". Two translated quotes: "The investigation yield a clear result: Shortly after the lift-off of the test machine, the computers send conflicting commands to the three engines which then powered off." "Soon after the crash, experts…

> So, not much information why the computers sent conflicting commands and also why the engines power down in such a situation.

I think shutting down the engines is probably the safest option when this sort of thing happens. You could argue they should stay in the present setting, but what would happen if one engine were at 0% and another 100%?

Most aircraft are pretty good at gliding even without power, and I'd assume a deadstick landing is part of the pilots training. In 2001, TS236 flew unpowered for 19 minutes before making an emergency landing (on a runway) with only minor injuries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236

Re: A400M Airbus Flier crashed because of software issues

#9

Post by madez »

rurounijones wrote: post #5

Watching too many air-crash investigation episodes had lead me to believe 0% of media reported "facts" surrounding plane crashes. I will wait for the official accident investigation report.

This is a very sound decision.

The media is infamous for not getting facts straight. They much rather write an opinion based on suspicion.

Well, no, thank you. Give me facts, get them straight, then I will make up my opinion.

Re: A400M Airbus Flier crashed because of software issues

#10

Post by madez »

tntcl wrote: post #3

So basically the software bug happened, because there are quality problems in the manufacturing street? wtf!?!?

The original speaks of quality problems in the manufacturing plant. This is very general and could include problems in the design phase up to the flashing of the module after assembly of the plane.
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