AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Air France 447 Disappearance
- On May 31, 2009, Air France Flight 447 left Rio with 228 people aboard and later disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean.
- Wreckage and recorders found years later revealed the crew's confusion after automation degraded and ultimately crashed.
Fly-By-Wire Adds Protective Interpretation
- Airbus implemented fly-by-wire to interpret pilot inputs and add protections like preventing aerodynamic stalls.
- The system can override or smooth pilot commands to keep the airplane within safe limits.
Automation Can Degrade Without Pilot Awareness
- Fly-by-wire modes can change automatically and may remove certain protections when degraded.
- Automation can "turn itself off," leaving pilots unexpectedly without built-in safeguards.