Rebooting Your Airbus (After All The Screens Go Dark)

AV Web ^ | april 24, 2006 | Russ Niles

[Yo-Yo]

Rebooting Your Airbus (After All The Screens Go Dark)
April 24, 2006
By Russ Niles,
Newswriter, Editor

Cures aside, pilots of Airbus A320-series airliners are getting new guidance on what to do if the screens on their electronically biased aircraft go blank. "Checklists will be streamlined so re-booting of power is quicker," an Airbus spokesman told the London Daily Mirror after Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch released a report on an incident aboard a British Airways A319 last October. The plane was carrying 76 passengers to Budapest from London when most of the electronic displays went blank. The crew was able to bring everything back online in 90 seconds and the passengers were blissfully unaware of the glitch.

The incident brought to light five similar instances on Airbuses. In the October incident, the plane was over southern England when the crew heard an audible "clunk." Five of six screens went out, the intercom and radio failed, the autopilot and autothrottles disengaged and most of the cockpit lights went out. The captain took over the controls and flew night VFR (fortunately it was a clear night) while he and the first officer sorted out the power failure. The flying pilot's task was further complicated by the fact that the backup analog instruments aren't lit. The AAIB has issued a series of safety recommendations but its final report isn't finished yet.

[Yo-Yo]

Are the backup analog instruments in the A320 really unlit? Or wass the instrument lighting circuit part of the affected power bus?

[Tennessee_Bob]

Hi - tech support? We're at 32,000 feet, and descending, we think....

[Mr. Jazzy]

Well, could have been worse.

Instead of the screens going dark, they could have all gotten the "Blue Screen Of Death".


Talk about crashes!

[Onelifetogive]

A good indication that we should go long on Boeing???

[tophat9000]

Rebooting Your Airbus (After All The Screens Go Dark)

Man that could really be the "BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH"

[xrp]

Airbus, Europe's biggest aircraft manufacturer, is asking all the airlines which use its A330 passenger jet to check their planes' fuel lines. The call comes a week after a Canadian Airbus pilot was forced to fly his plane for more than 100 miles without power before making a forced landing in the Azores.

[Rummyfan]

Damn Windows!

But seriously, what happens when this occurs on final approach? With poor visibility?

[Little Ray]

Not to self: If I get in to aircraft instrumentation and information systesms - use Linux or Unix.

[MediaMole]

Thank you for calling Airbus technical support. If your aircraft is plummeting to earth, press 1. If you need a replacement tail, press 2.

[Rummyfan]

From your link:

The trigger for the checks was the failure of both engines on an Airbus A330-200 operated by Canada's Air Transat and flying from Toronto to Lisbon in Portugal.

Cpt Piche landed his Airbus safely after 120 miles without power

On 24 August, the aircraft's crew noticed a fuel leak in the right engine, which within minutes caused it to shut down.

About 13 minutes later, the left engine followed suit, leaving Captain Robert Piche to fly the plane 113 miles to the Azores, in the Atlantic Ocean about 900 miles from Portugal, without power.

He managed to land the plane, bursting nearly all its tyres but keeping it intact.

Of the 293 passengers and 13 crew on board, 11 people suffered slight injuries.

Downright frightening!

[ErnBatavia]

The term "The computer is down" could have extra special ramifications in that kind of situation...

[TXBSAFH]

Airburst, powered bt Microsoft 2K Pro.

[Ainast]

Is the plane plugged into an AC outlet?

-No

Uninstall the device giving you the problem then restart the computer.

-uh....

......


......


......


- Hello are you still there?

......

We are sorry for the delay.... Do you have your recovery cd...

-Somewhere

Reinstall windows and call back if the problem persists....

-uh....

Thank you for using POS tech support, [click]

[Spktyr]

You die.

So, first your plane crashes. Then it *really* crashes.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Are the backup analog instruments in the A320 really unlit?

No biggie. That's why pilots carry flashlights.

While flying our private airplane one night, we had a generator failure. Since the engine uses a magneto, it ran just fine, but we had to shut down all the electrical and use a hand radio to communicate.

Since I was flying, I had to hold the flashlight in my mouth to see the instruments.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Well, the Airbus entertainment system uses Linux...I would hope the avionics displays are controlled by a proprietary (Honeywell?) O/S and not a certain commercial O/S which shall remain nameless... ;)

[knews_hound]

Thank you for calling Tech Support, all agents are busy with other customers, your call will be answered in the order it was recieved.

Press One if you are decending at an alarming rate.

Press Two if the screams of terror from the passengers are getting on your nerves.

Press 3 if you are upside down.

Your call may be monitored for Quality Purposes.

Cheers,

knewshound

[hunter112]

Like we say here in Washington State: "If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going!"

[wjcsux]

If it isn't a Boeing, I'm not going!

[RightOnline]

LOL........