trashie:
. . . .have attributed the malfunction to interference with the fuel pump electronics from a laptop computer being operated against airline rules by a senior British government official over the top of the area of the pumps.
propaganda:
I doubt that theory, as no Senior British Gov't official would be sitting that far back in the cabin.
CONF iture:
HP fuel pumps are mechanical ... not sure there is any electronic involved (?)
barit1:
I'm 99% certain the reference to "interference with the fuel pump electronics" must really mean EMI to the FADEC.
I assume
trashie is referring to the boost pumps, not FADEC or HP pumps. If so, the pumps themselves are outside the hull (which functions as a Faraday cage) and very unlikely to have been affected.
Regarding the (pumps) electronic component locations relative to the mentioned seating position of the "official with his laptop", he would have been nowhere near any of those components if you know the T7 well enough.
Suppose the pumps were affected (highly unlikely), what effect could there have been? Stop the pumps? Suction feed would still feed the engines. Or make the pumps (3 phase AC) somehow run in a reverse direction . . . .and then all four of them at the same time with their LH/RH electrical circuits well separated? Again, highly unlikely.
If there is any substantiation in what the accident investigator discussed, the scenario could fit uncommanded transit of both spar valves. More holes in the swiss cheese had to have lined up though before such a scenario with a laptop could be considered as plausible.
Regards,
Green-dot