An independent investigation blamed both mechanical and electrical malfunctions on board Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 and the flight crew for a crash that killed all 162 people on board in the Java Sea.
The pilots switched from autopilot to manual during the Dec. 28, 2014
flight because of four repeated master alarms warning of a faulty
rudder, causing the Airbus A320 to severely bank at an altitude of
32,000 feet.
The manual override caused the passenger jet to “enter an upset
condition” halfway through its trek from Surabaya to Singapore.
An alarming number of rudder malfunctions caused by a cracked solder
joint on the rudder’s electrical card went unchecked 12 months before
the deadly crash, investigators revealed.
Investigators found the rudder malfunctioned 23 times.
During the doomed flight, the plane stalled at a 54 degree “beyond the
capability of the flight crew to recover,” the report stated.
AirAsia Chief Tony Fernandes said his thoughts are with the families of
the passengers and crew that perished on board the flight.
“There are scars that are left on me forever, but I remain committed to
make AirAsia the very best,” Fernandes said in a statement to the
Strait Times. “My heart and deep sorrow goes out to all the families
involved.”
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