Jetstar A330 Malfunction May Have Link to Air France Atlantic Ocean Crash

The 1 June 2009 crash of an Air France A330 is still under investigation, and a recent incident involving the same aircraft type may shed light on that crash.

According to a report in the Herald Sun newspaper, In the predawn hours of October 29the, the pilot of a Jetstar Airbus 330-200, Flight JQ12, reported that many of the instruments in the cockpit blacked out for about six seconds while the aircraft was passing through storm clouds midway between Japan and the Australia.

During the six-second blackout, the automatic pilot malfunctioned and fluctuating readings were transmitted by one of the jet's three airspeed indicators. Afterwards, the instruments returned to normal and the aircraft proceeded to its destination, landing about five hours later without further incident.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority are investigating this incident, and are reportedly looking for any similarities between this event and the events that led to the crash of Air France Flight 447.



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