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Old 5th Mar 2008, 19:11
  #613 (permalink)  
seekayess
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
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The Manager, OzJet, Safety & Security has posted the following:

FW: B777 crash
The following comment is taken from the African Pilot newsletter. It might seem bizarre but with no answers as yet I suppose they have to keep digging. Not sure ECM could affect the FADEC, but then, this has never happened before and any accident has a cause, or 2, or 3!!!





Did Gordon Brown's Electronic Counter Measures suite cause the B777 to malfunction and crash at Heathrow?
The mystery of the January 2008 B777 crash at London’s Heathrow deepens, with investigators reporting no evidence of mechanical failure. Investigators also ruled out the possibility that fuel froze during the flight or was contaminated, or that a bird strike was to blame. So what caused the engines to fail to produce enough thrust on the final approach? The engines were still operating; though at idle, when the crash crews arrived only minutes after the event. The thrust levers were at full or maybe at the ‘go round’ position. So what might have happened? Given the aircraft had fuel, that was not contaminated and the engines were operating...?

I have had reports that at the time the aircraft passed over a perimeter road, by an extraordinary coincidence, it passed low and directly overhead British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's car detail, which was delivering Brown and his entourage to Heathrow. This cavalcade apparently travels with a significant and powerful electronic counter measures (ECM) package to jam (fry) roadside IEDs, deflect and avoid incoming missiles and so on. Did the PM's ECM package interfere with the engine management controls (called FADEC) on the B777? FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) has been in operation for decades - first operated on the B767 and the B777. It has had millions of miles of trouble free motoring and is apparently extremely robust in an operational sense.

FADEC power plant operation provides for independent engine operations. Therefore any FADEC problem would not normally lead to a double engine failure. Unless of course, the problem existed in the parameters and/or the engine control information provided to the FADEC due to a malfunction, or possibly ice, or maybe after being subjected to extremely high intensity electromagnetic radiation from a nearby source. Given that ice has been ruled out - and there was a double malfunction, could an ECM response have contributed?

So far all reports about this crash have covered the outstanding airmanship of the crew to limp the stricken aircraft at a very low altitude and low speed over the perimeter fence and crash land with no loss of life, or serious injuries, AND the complete bafflement as to what caused this aircraft to crash - given the fabulous operational record to date its type. Perhaps there will be no conclusion entered? If Brown's security measures contributed, will that fact ever be fully investigated or reported on?
My knowledge not being up to scratch on the subject, thought I would run it past you folks!
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