Recently in the news, it was reported that a malware trojan virus was responsible, at least partially, for the crash of Spanair Flight 5022. Research into the story and the source of the original report regarding the malware appears to discredit the idea. The official investigative report on the accident blamed pilot error as well as mechanical issues with the aircraft. The pilot failed to realize that the flaps and slats were not in take-off position and the airplane subsequently crashed. In the past few days, reports came out that warning systems failed to indicate the non-functioning flaps and slats. The pilots themselves overlooked the portion of their preflight checklist that required a visual check of their extension.
The idea of malware bringing down the airplane came around due to a erroneous reading of the crash investigation report and subsequently, further erroneous translation of the Spanish sources article. There was a malware issue noted in the report; however, it appears that it was limited to computers outside of the airplane. It can still be argued that it played a roll in the eventual crash, but an argument can be made that the idea is simply trying to sensationalize the story.
The malware in question actually affected a computer in the maintenance department. The virus prevented the mechanics from knowing that this specific aircraft had already reported a similar issue with the flaps and slats twice during prior flights. The mechanics, unaware that the airplane had a recurring issue, had only treated it as a one-time occurrence and assumed the problem had been fixed. The plane eventually went on to crash a few hours later.
In fact, data on the type of airplane involved shows that the aircraft, an MD-82 was not computerized, and therefore, cannot be subjected to a computer virus attack.
This type of report shows how easily an erroneous report can spread through the mainstream media via the assistance of the internet. Currently, there are no known instances of an airplane computer or electronic systems being directly affected by a computer virus or malware of any kind.
(for additional General Aviation news and articles, visit Chicago General Aviation and National General Aviation.)
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