Investigators find computer malfunction likely cause of Qantas incident+

(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SYDNEY, Oct. 15_(Kyodo) _ Australian air safety investigators said late Tuesday that a technical fault was the most likely cause of last week's midair incident involving a Qantas Airways plane in which dozens of passengers were injured.

More than 70 passengers and crew suffered fractures, spinal injuries and lacerations when the Airbus A330-300 en route from Singapore to Perth plummeted suddenly over northwestern Australia.

In their preliminary analysis, authorities found a faulty air data inertial reference unit had fed incorrect information into the aircraft's central flight control computer.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said this caused the flight control primary computers to misread the "difference between the aircraft and its control systems and the air stream," leading to a 198-meter plunge.

"These very high, random and incorrect values of the angle of attack led to the flight control computers commanding a nose-down aircraft movement, which resulted in the aircraft pitching down to a maximum of about 8.5 degrees," the ATSB said in a statement.

Airbus, the aircraft's manufacturer, has issued operational recommendations to operators of A330 and A340 aircraft, both of which are fitted with the same air data inertial reference system, the ATSB said.

However, authorities described the risk of a similar occurrence in the future as "unlikely."

"This appears to be a unique event and Airbus has advised that it is not aware of any similar event over the many years of operation of the Airbus," the ATSB said.

Investigations into the incident are still continuing. Authorities expect to release their preliminary factual report by Nov. 7.

Copyright ? 2008 Kyodo News International, Inc.

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