PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - How safe is (airbus) fly by wire? Airbus A330/340 and A320 family emergency AD
Old 30th Dec 2012, 17:05
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DozyWannabe
 
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Originally Posted by 737Jock
Airbus however has had many unfortunate incidents, due either the system not being understood or simply the FBW fighting with the pilots for control. Some crashed!
Actually there are zero FBW-related crashes for either type. I don't think there are any serious FBW-related incidents either. Some argue that the scraped wingtip in Hamburg counts, but in that case the crew were trying to land in excess of minimums and the Captain violated control handover protocol.

Don't get automation confused with FBW - two very different things. In fact the automation on the A320 is no more complex than that on your 737NG, which is why automation-related crashes and incidents are comparable in number across all types and manufacturers.

@Cool Guys - read Chris Scott's post. The SNPL press release is a political statement, and their "requested changes" are not common-sense. They constitute a fundamental misunderstanding of the design and if implemented would not only have very little - at best - in the way of safety benefit, but would also effectively undermine the commercial edge Airbus have, which is arguably the SNPL's goal.

Last edited by DozyWannabe; 30th Dec 2012 at 17:13.
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