Airlines are scrambling to roll back a software update that caused the Airbus A320 to be susceptible to uncommanded pitch down conditions during flight with autopilot enaged.
In a press release issued Friday, Airbus claimed “intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls,” which was apparently at play during an Oct. 30 Jetblue incident that led to 15 injuries and an emergencing landing.
Investigators later revealed a failure in the ELAC-2 computer, manufactured by Thales, led to a misinterpretation in control inputs while the system transfered control to the ELAC-1 computer.
An airline pilot posted a photo on X of the portable data loader used to roll back the A320’s software and suggested the entire process takes about 15 minutes per plane, though some news reports have reported install times of three to five hours.
EASA was the first agency to require airlines operating the A320 to perform the update, with the FAA quickly following suit.
The software change affects about 6,000 aircraft.
