Plane that struck Queens neighborhood subject to maritime laws

Associated Press via LufkinDailyNews.com ^ | May 9, 2006 - 10:23 p.m. | LARRY NEUMEISTER

[COEXERJ145]

Doesn't the computer override such violent inputs by the pilot?

Not on the Airbus A300-600R. You will only find that on aircraft that use an electronic flight control system such as the A320, A330, A340, and 777.

[operation clinton cleanup]

Of course some people think Valujet 592 was a terrorist bomb and they probably think every single plane crash in history was a terrorist act.

IMO, the Valujet crash was one of the most disturbing in recent history (I don't think it was caused by a bomb), in that it disappeared in the swamp. The recovery operation had to be horrific.

[COEXERJ145]

Valujet was bad. A plane impacting in a nose down attitude at over 500 miles per hour doesn't leave a lot of intact pieces. The divers that had to recover the body parts and aircraft remains worked in absolutely hellish conditions. Not only was it hot & humid, dirty, and the smell was nauseating, but alligators were a constant threat. Armed guards had to stand by all around the crash site with high powered rifles just to keep the gators away.

[operation clinton cleanup]

As I recall, the water was only 4 feet deep... almost everything was buried in the muck.... I cant imagine a worse situation for a crash recovery operation.

[Knuckledragger]

Doesn't the computer override such violent inputs by the pilot?

Not on the Airbus A300-600R. You will only find that on aircraft that use an electronic flight control system such as the A320, A330, A340, and 777.

Boeing and Airbus have different philosophies when it comes to pilot vs. electronic flight control in extreme situations. For example, an Airbus's computer won't allow a pilot to stall the aircraft. If the aircraft is near a stall situation, you can pull back on that stick till the cows come home but the computer won't let the aircraft stall. I guess they figure there’s no possible reason to allow some inputs at some times. Boeing, however, allows pilots to override the computer if they put enough muscle into the controls.

Airbus trusts the flight control laws over the pilot’s skill. Boeing takes the opposite approach, giving the pilot ultimate authority over the aircraft—at least that’s how it was several years ago when it was a hotly debated issue.

[COEXERJ145]

Quite true. Boeing gives the pilot a lot more leeway when it comes to flying the aircraft while the Airbus system is very rigid. The Boeing system does have some limits on what the pilot can and cannot do but not nearly as much as Airbus does. There are pros and cons to both designs but I'll go with the Boeing system any day.

[verity]

"The judge noted in his ruling that there was no direct precedent "

Tort lawyer welfare?

[GOP_1900AD]

No doubt.