Rudder-System Failure Contributed to AirAsia Crash
01 December 2015 - 8:00PM
Dow Jones News
JAKARTA, Indonesia—Indonesian crash investigators said an
electrical problem and a resulting rudder-system error contributed
to the crash of AirAsia Flight 8501 on Dec. 28, and that
maintenance records showed the problem had been a recurring one in
months before the flight.
Pilots had to fly without autopilot before the plane stalled and
crashed, investigators told reporters Tuesday.
All 162 people aboard the jet, an Airbus A320, died when it
crashed in waters off the coast of Borneo island en route to
Singapore from the Indonesian city of Surabaya.
Investigators from Indonesia's National Transportation Safety
Committee said Tuesday that a cracked solder joint resulted in an
electricity interruption that caused rudder failure.
Maintenance-data analysis showed that the problem had been a
recurring one in months before the crash.
Electrical failure also led the autopilot system to disengage,
leaving pilots to fly manually.
Investigators said the flight crew's actions while flying
manually led to the stall.
Airbus said it had just received the final accident report and
was carefully studying its contents. "Airbus has provided full
technical assistance and expertise to the authorities in charge of
the investigation," the company added.
Write to Ben Otto at ben.otto@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 01, 2015 03:45 ET (08:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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