Fly - By - Wire Failure, Part 1

On Oct. 7, 2008, Qantas Flight 72 was flying over the Indian Ocean from Singapore to Perth, Australia. Kevin Sullivan, pilot-in-command of the Airbus A330, was flying on autopilot at 37,000 feet when suddenly warnings started sounding throughout the cockpit; the primary flight control computers were malfunctioning. The aircraft began to pitch up, and Sullivan realized he was just another passenger, for a short time unable to control the errant Airbus. After regaining control of the A330, Sullivan then had to decide whether to make an emergency landing at the nearest airport, the military field at Learmonth, or continue another hour and a half to Perth. In this episode of AIN's The Human Factor, Sullivan recounts how he was able to identify the issues affecting the A330's fly-by-wire flight controls and minimize damage while planning how how to keep his 315 passengers safe.