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Old 23rd Feb 2013, 00:05
  #498 (permalink)  
uitauoesnth
 
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I have worked on FADEC software for Large Civil Aircraft:

In the software that I have worked with, when thrust reversers have been commanded, engine thrust cannot be increased until the software is absolutely sure that the mechanism is locked in place --- exactly to prevent this sort of accident.

FADEC has been around for 30 years, and these sorts of common-sense protections are a big part of the reasons that reason that it exists. If you can be confident that you know the position of the TR mechanism, then it's a very simple task to limit engine power to some idle while the mechanism is in transition -- I am somewhat surprised that a extremely modern engine does not have this functionality: I can vouch for the fact that engines had it 20 years ago.

I also find it hard to fault the pilots for the crash given that the TRs operated so counter-intuitively: Thrust Reversers are designed to slow a plane down. Instead, they made the plane speed up. That means they worked the exact opposite of how they should have done.... I'm not sure if there is a way they could possibly have behaved worse in that situation.
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