Airbus Faces Scrutiny Over Safety Record Amid French Crash Investigations

Strategic Insights -

Airbus, the French manufacturer of commercial aircraft, is facing renewed scrutiny over its safety record following the tragic crash of Germanwings flight 4U 9525 in the Alps on Tuesday. The incident has highlighted concerns that pilots may be too reliant on automated systems, which can malfunction and cause accidents. Experts point to a similar incident involving an Airbus plane last November, where malfunctioning sensors triggered a sudden plunge shortly after takeoff.

Key Takeaways:

  • A similar incident occurred in November 2014, where an Airbus A321 plane experienced a sudden plunge after its automated systems misinterpreted data from malfunctioning sensors. The plane was operated by Lufthansa and was flying from Bilbao, Spain, to Munich. In that case, the pilot battled to stop the plane from dropping further for at least 45 seconds, eventually overriding the systems to allow the plane to fly horizontally again.
  • The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency directive in 2014 warning pilots to switch off sensors if they malfunction to prevent undue activation of the Alpha Protection system.
  • Airbus has delivered around 6,200 short-haul and medium-haul jets in the A320 group, which log millions of incident-free hours in the air every year.
  • The Germanwings plane that crashed this week had been delivered to Lufthansa in 1991 and had flown approximately 58,300 flight hours in around 46,700 flights in the last 24 years.
  • Recent Airbus disasters include the AirAsia 8501 flight, which crashed into the Java Sea last December, killing all 162 people on board, and the Air France crash in 2009, where frozen sensors led pilots to misinterpret the situation and crash the plane into the Atlantic, killing all 228 people on board.

Statistics:

  • 150 people died in Tuesday's crash of Germanwings flight 4U 9525
  • 228 people died in the 2009 Air France crash
  • 162 people died in the AirAsia 8501 flight disaster last December
  • 6,200 Airbus A320 aircraft have been delivered worldwide
  • 58,300 flight hours were logged by the Germanwings plane in the last 24 years
  • 46,700 flights were made by the Germanwings plane in the last 24 years

Sources:

  • The Guardian: Holly Watt in London
  • German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation
  • European Aviation Safety Agency
  • Air Accidents Investigation Branch
  • Kreindler & Kreindler Aviation Law Firm
  • Airbus