By
John Leyden
Malware may have been a contributory cause of a fatal Spanair crash that killed 154 people two years ago.
Speculation. Based on what evidence, one wonders?
Spanair flight number JK 5022 crashed ... The airline's central computer which registered technical problems on planes was infected by Trojans at the time of the fatal crash and this resulted in a failure to raise an alarm over multiple problems with the plane, according to Spanish daily El Pais.
(I don't read Spanish well enough to parse the linked article, sorry to say.
) Allow me to be skeptical, given what the professionals at PPRUNE have discussed on this matter in the past year or two. Simpler malfunctions can lead to just as tragic a crash ...
The plane took off with flaps and slats retracted, something that should in any case have been picked up by the pilots during pre-flight checks or triggered an internal warning on the plane. Neither happened, with tragic consequences, according to a report by independent crash investigators.
Who are these independent crash investigators? I thought a judge in Spain was in charge.
If the airlines' central computer was working properly a take-off after three warnings would not have been allowed, thereby averting the tragedy.
Do any of our MD pilots have a comment on this? Do the computers abort a takeoff on a three strikes rule? (I have a hard time believing this, but as I don't know the aircraft type in question ... )
Investigating judge Juan David Perez has ordered Spanair to supply data on the state of its systems at the time of the crash. An investigation commission is due to report on the case by December. ®
From the Spanish article, did some IT techs fire up the mission computer on the airliner and discover it to have bad code in it during the forensic part of the investigation? Again, I don't read Spanish well enough to understand what that article was pointing to. Something has the judge's attention, at any rate.
This is an interesting claim, which would be best supported by some technical evidence. What sources is this journalist, Mr Leyden, relying on for his information, one wonders?