Airbus Crash Pits Brain Against Computer Encroaching on Cockpit
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The crash of Air France flight 447 in 2009 that killed 228 people casts the spotlight on pilots’ ability to execute split-second decisions and avert disaster in an era when computers have taken control of the cockpit.
Evidence gleaned from the Airbus A330’s last transmits shows the autopilot disengaged after speed readings became unreliable, forcing the two co-pilots in the cockpit to take over, just as the jet traversed a storm. Data from the final minutes indicate the aircraft went into a stall before crashing into the sea, four hours into its flight to Paris. The French investigators will publish a detailed report tomorrow.