AB350 Aborts own takeoff--first flight from JFK

[jimntx]

Oops!
 
https://www.yahoo.com/travel/fail-first-us-flight-of-fancy-new-airbus-jet-171400857.html

 

[xUT]

Oops!
 
https://www.yahoo.com/travel/fail-first-us-flight-of-fancy-new-airbus-jet-171400857.html

 

Eventually the highest-ranking executive on the Airbus explained to the travlers there was no reason to fear for their safety. “For some reason the A350 decided that our 11,000-foot runway was too short to support the takeoff, and the plane applied the brakes at full force — all on its own,” writes Honig.
 

Does that make someone feel safer?
Now, you are not in the 'pilots' hands but some 3rd world programmer inputting flight data.
Yea, I feel safer... 😛

 

[jimntx]

I know that the airplane knew the length of the runway because someone loaded that information into its data banks.  However, if it already knew the length of the runway, why didn't the a/c tell the pilots while they were still at the gate..."Hey, guys.  The runway is too short for me to takeoff on it"???
 
Don't we (AA) have some AB350s on order?

 

[700UW]

Yes PMUS had A350s on order and the merged company redid the order to make them A359 instead of the A358 which Airbus never made. They are scheduled for delivery in 2017.

 

[jimntx]

Here's a video of the event.  Not quite as loud and unnerving as the article implied.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKtPlj932YY

 

[Ms Tree]

Makes me wonder what else the plane will do by itself.  HAL... is that you?

 

[jimntx]

Precisely.  I spent over 20 years in the Information Technology field.  I don't care how competent your programmers are.  Programmers are human and make mistakes.  I do NOT want a piece of equipment making decisions, such as take-off aborts.  I want a trained, professional pilot in charge at that moment.  Listening to the conversation between the a/c and the tower suggests that the cockpit was not sure what had happened.  If the a/c is going to be making those kind of decisions, it should at least inform the cockpit of what it is about to do and why, AND (this should go without saying, but...) give the cockpit an opportunity to override or change the course of action.

 

[delldude]

I remember a similar incident at the Paris Airshow.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

I remember a similar incident at the Paris Airshow.

Like it was yesterday Dude. Was it that long ago?

Seems like I was a middle age punk who loved wrenching on middle aged DC-9's and shiny new Airbii at the time.

Mid shift didn't bother me and my back and neck didn't hurt.

Wait, what were we talking about?

 

[Kev3188]

Keeping the youngsters off your lawn?

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Keeping the youngsters off your lawn?

Who said that!

 

[delldude]

Time fly's just like airplanes.

 

[EastUS1]

Precisely.  I spent over 20 years in the Information Technology field.  I don't care how competent your programmers are.  Programmers are human and make mistakes.  I do NOT want a piece of equipment making decisions, such as take-off aborts.  I want a trained, professional pilot in charge at that moment.  Listening to the conversation between the a/c and the tower suggests that the cockpit was not sure what had happened.  If the a/c is going to be making those kind of decisions, it should at least inform the cockpit of what it is about to do and why, AND (this should go without saying, but...) give the cockpit an opportunity to override or change the course of action.

 
Amen. The whole problem with Airbii design philosophy lies with the insane notion that any pilot should always need to essentially "negotiate" through a set of computers on what should sanely be direct control inputs.

 

[delldude]

Maybe they need this on the cockpit door?