{"id":15720,"date":"2019-03-15T03:04:24","date_gmt":"2019-03-15T03:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=15720"},"modified":"2019-03-16T06:42:42","modified_gmt":"2019-03-16T06:42:42","slug":"automated-control-system-caused-ethiopia-crash-flight-data-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/automated-control-system-caused-ethiopia-crash-flight-data-suggests\/","title":{"rendered":"Automated control system caused Ethiopia crash, flight data suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"

Timothy Takahashi<\/a>, Arizona State University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Emerging evidence from the recent crash in Ethiopia suggests that malfunctioning automatic control systems overwhelmed the crew and doomed the flight. Based on my analysis, it appears that the Ethiopian Airlines crew followed the standard procedures found in the Boeing 737 pilots operating handbook and flight crew operations manual<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A typical flight starts with manual control of the plane. The pilot and co-pilot will personally steer the aircraft onto the taxiway, configure the flaps for takeoff, actively control the aircraft as it accelerates down the runway, and smoothly pull back on the control yoke to lift the plane off the ground and into flight. The flight\u2019s altitude and speed data, transmitted from the plane in real time<\/a> and made available to the public by FlightRadar24.com, shows that happened normally as Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 left the runway.<\/p>\n

Everything appears to have gone as usual on the initial climb away from the takeoff, too. Normally, the pilot will retract the landing gear and maintain a relatively steady speed as the aircraft climbs. The plane might accelerate slightly until it\u2019s going fast enough that the flaps \u2013 extended to increase lift at lower speeds \u2013 can be safely retracted, letting the wings themselves generate the necessary lift. This process usually takes place in the first minute after takeoff. Once the aircraft has climbed to 1,000 feet above the ground, the pilot will engage the autopilot system.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the point at which the computer takes over \u2013 and where, my analysis of the data suggests, things went wrong for Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. A modern autopilot system gives the computer command of the engine throttles, rudder, elevators and ailerons \u2013 basically full control over the aircraft.<\/p>\n