Originally Posted by
framer
Jokat said there was no turbulence after the incident and once the plane landed the pilot came to the back of the plane in “shock”.
“I asked ‘what happened?’ and he said ‘my gauges just blanked out, I lost all of my ability to fly the plane’.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3502...d-crew-injured
Stuff News
It would appear from the pilot's comments that the aircraft had suffered an electrical failure that blanked out his gauges and which also prevented him from controlling the aircraft (ie, he was unable to use the flight controls to maintain cruise flight).
Questions that need answering are:
1. Why the essential/emergency electrical backup for maintaining pilot control of the primary flight controls of the aircraft did not occur?
2. What is programmed to occur to the pitch flight control surface positions (primarily elevator and THS) when electrical power is lost...when electrical power is restored...or briefly interrupted?
3. Is this an electric/flight control program design defect that is a one off, or will it occur every time such a similar electrical fault occurs?
It is of concern that whilst the B787 electrical power system re-configures in flight in this manner, that the flight control surfaces don't at least freeze, rather then putting the aircraft into a zero or negative g bunt which eventuated in injury to passengers hitting the roof.
The FDR will be interesting to analyse when it becomes available.