Incorrectly installed engine control software caused the fatal crash of an A400M airlifter in Spain on May 9, a senior Airbus Group official says.
In an interview with the German financial newspaper Handelsblatt, Airbus Chief Strategy Officer Marwan Lahoud said the incorrect installation took place during final assembly of the aircraft, which led to engine failure and the resulting crash.
This part really bothers me. I deal with engines and engine control s/w on a regular basis, and on the surface it simply doesn't make sense. Loading "Level A" (flight critical) software is common, well documented, and close to Murphy proof process. The s/w load process has a series of self-checks that verify that the load was successful - and in most cases if it's not successful not only will you get appropriate error messages, the system simply won't function.
It doesn't really matter if it's engine controls, flight controls, or another system - Level A is Level A and the assumption is if you get it wrong, it could cause a crash, so the processes make sure it's really had to get it wrong. I keep thinking there is more to this than is being publicly released.
If they did manage to botch the s/w load on multiple engines in such a way that it wasn't readily apparent, I sure hope the root cause is freely and widely, shared and doesn't get caught up in any Military or Proprietary restrictions.