Computer Brought Down Jet at Heathrow

It has been revealed that computer failure, is the most likely cause of flight BA038’s crash-landing.

B.A. technical staff believe the Boeing airplane’s computerised control system was the cause of both engines failing during final descent at Heathrow last Thursday. All of the 136 passengers and the 16 crew onboard survived.

The plane was less than 2 miles from its touchdown when it lost power suddenly. Senior First Officer John Coward, avoided a disaster by managing to land the craft just within Heathrow’s fence.

Experts stated that the fault must lie in aircraft’s computer system that controls the engines, as it was “unthinkable”, both engines could fail simultaneously. They therefore deduce that the fault must be with the computer system.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are currently examining all scenarios and has downloaded all the information from the so called, black box, flight recorders. This preliminary report made it clear that it would be focusing on “the range of aircraft systems that could influence engine operation”.

A similar computer malfunction back in 2005 nearly made a 777 owned by Malaysia Airlines to stall, by bringing down its airspeed to a dangerous 158 knots and throwing the aircraft into a 3,000ft climb.

B.A’s badly damaged plane was removed to the inside of a hangar yesterday; the report from the AAIB into this near disaster is expected in 30 days.

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