Some 6,000 Aibus A320 planes must urgently replace control software vulnerable to solar radiation after a ” event “ in the United States on a JetBlue aircraft at the end of October, a spokesperson for the aircraft manufacturer told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Airbus notified all of its customers using this software on Friday“stop the flights immediately” after the analysis of this technical incident which “revealed that intense solar radiation could corrupt data essential to the operation of flight controls”.
For most aircraft, changing software from its previous version will take “a few hours”. But for some 1,000 planes this will involve changing the computer hardware “which will take weeks”a source close to the matter explained to AFP. This is an ELAC elevator/aileron calculator, manufactured by Thales.
“Operational disruptions”
“Airbus recognizes that these recommendations will cause operational disruption for passengers and customers. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with the operators, whilst maintaining safety as our top and paramount priority”writes the European aircraft manufacturer.
On October 30, a JetBlue Airbus A320 experienced a flight control problem due to a computer malfunction. The incident occurred while cruising between Cancun (Mexico) and Newark (United States) when the aircraft suddenly pitched downward without intervention from the pilots. The pilots began the descent phase, then landed the plane in Tampa, Florida. Tampa firefighters reported to the American media that passengers were injured.
American Airlines, the airline with the world’s largest fleet of A320s, said about 340 of its 480 planes would need a software change. She said all of these repairs should be completed by Saturday, with each intervention requiring approximately two hours. Other airlines said they would briefly ground their planes to carry out repairs, including Germany’s Lufthansa, India’s IndiGo and Britain’s easyJet. Air France indicated that it was already canceling 35 flights as of Friday evening throughout France.
The Airbus A320, which entered service in 1988, is the best-selling aircraft in the world. In September it dethroned the single-aisle 737 from the American manufacturer Boeing, the first copy of which was delivered in 1968. At the end of September, Airbus had delivered 12,257 copies of its A320 (business versions included) compared to 12,254 copies of the 737.
