Originally Posted by
GordonR_Cape
Thanks for the report. My question:
Is there any investigation into why a lightning strike could have crippled a modern aircraft design?
I don't expect an answer, but in the long run, this may turn out to highlight broader issues than the actions of the pilots.
Google translate does a reasonable job. Seems they are in denial mode already:
We don’t know what “crippled” state this airliner was in. I’ve seen reports that it was in “direct law.” Doesn’t that just remove protections from pitch and bank exceedances? Other reports indicate that there was autopilot failure. These items would not be crippling. There could of course be other malfunctions that could be considered crippling. However, according to the flight track the pilots did fly a downwind and part of one approach to the runway before breaking it off and then lining up for their final approach, so they must have had reasonable control of the aircraft. Dealing with an abnormal situation does not absolve one from executing normal airmanship.
I do hope for these pilots that there was more to the aircraft malfunctions than has been initially reported.