When the Airbus A-320 was still in planning stages, I remember a presentation in a conference on aviation psychology relating all the combinations of circumstances software code writers had to consider, such as what warnings to inhibit on takeoff when they could be a nuisance, etc., which presentations were appropriate and when, and which might not be.
The speaker said there were many combinations of events the software could not anticipate, that it would be impossible to write software for unforeseen events, and that doubtless the software itself would probably cause some problems.
Add to that the reticence of some pilot unions (was one Air France's?) about the "fly by wire" concept at the outset, with no mechanical controls whatsoever,and it seems this recent nightmare situation is an example of expressed fears of just such unknowns.
All this speculation is premature. As many have said, it seems really more a matter of "there but for the grace..." etc.
It all makes the QANTAS A-380's crew's performance, augmented by the extra pilots who were all busy, just that much more remarkable.
