Airbus A320-214 da TAP Air Portugal
Intense solar radiation can corrupt data essential for the operation of A320 flight controls, an incident that occurred in October showed. The European aircraft manufacturer has asked all airlines using this model to immediately suspend their flights.
Airbus announced this Friday the recall of approximately 6,000 A320 aircraft for urgent replacement of the voo control softwarewhich was shown to be vulnerable to solar radiation, following an incident in late October in the United States.
In a statement, the aeronautical manufacturer informed that it requested all airline customers that use this ‘software’ to “immediately suspend your flights” after analyzing the technical incident.
The company acknowledged that these recommendations will cause operational disruptions for passengers and customers. “We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, keeping safety as our absolute and paramount priority,” the company said.
The incident in question occurred on October 30, on a JetBlue flight between Cancún, Mexico, and Newark, near New York, when an aircraft had to perform a emergency landing in Tampato Florida.
Analysis of the incident “revealed that the intense solar radiation can corrupt data essential for the operation of flight controls”, informed the European company.
For most aircraft, upgrading the software from the previous version will take “a few hours”. But, for around a thousand aircraft, it will involve changing the computer hardware, “which will take weeks“, a source linked to the process revealed to the AFP agency.
The incident involves a specific device, called Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC), manufactured by Thales. This Airbus supplier clarified to AFP that it was not responsible for the problem: “The functionality in question is supported by a ‘software’ that is not the responsibility of Thales”, he guaranteed.
Airbus did not specify which company designed and updates this software.
The incident occurred during the cruise phase when, over the Gulf of Mexico, the aircraft suddenly tilted downwards without any intervention from the pilots. The pilots began descent and landed the aircraft.
Tampa firefighters reported to US media that some passengers were injured.
A JetBluecontacted by AFP for comment on the incident, did not respond, while the rival airline American Airlines indicated that it had already started update your navigation software after receiving the notification.
A rival norte-americana United Airlines stated it was not affected due to the defect, without providing further details, although it operates several A320 aircraft.
A Iberia confirmed that it is working to make the “necessary changes” to its A320 aircraft safely and guaranteed that this Saturday’s operations will not be affected by this situation.
Sources from the Spanish company cited by the EFE agency confirmed that Airbus notified airlines operating the A320 about the need to update the software of part of the fleet, “after detecting an incident in a flight control program caused by exposure to sunlight”.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) indicated in a statement that was informed of the situation by Airbus.
The Airbus A320, which entered service in 1988, became the aircraft in September best-selling in the world, dethroning the Boeing 737the single-aisle jet from North American manufacturer Boeing, the first unit of which was delivered in 1968.
At the end of September, Airbus had delivered 12,257 A320 planes, including business class versions, compared to 12,254 Boeing 737s.
