[Mike W]

Article today in "The Australian"

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...-23349,00.html

Global alert after Qantas dive

Steve Creedy and Mark Dodd | October 15, 2008
EUROPEAN plane-maker Airbus has warned A330 operators around the world to guard against potential computer problems after last week's roller-coaster ride by a Qantas jet.

The global alert comes after investigators found that a faulty unit that provides information about the plane's movement and position resulted in the autopilot disconnecting and prompted flight control computers to pitch the plane's nose downward.

More than 70 people were injured, 14 seriously, when they were thrown around the cabin as the plane pitched down violently near Learmonth, in Western Australia northwest, while en route from Singapore to Perth.

The jet diverted to Learmonth and the worst injured were airlifted to Perth by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Investigators said last night the false information from an air data inertial reference unit (ADIRU) fed "very high, random and incorrect values".

The ADIRU supplies information such as air speed, altitude and position.

The fault led to the flight control computers pitching the aircraft's nose down by about 8.5 degrees and led to a fault in the flight control primary computer

.... goes on