The crash of Colgan 3407
2010-02-10 06:27:14.019839+01 by
Dan Lyke
1 comments
Philip Greenspun has a good rant on the crash of Colgan 3407 and autopilots and software reliability:
How come the autopilot software on this $27 million airplane wasn’t smart enough to fly basically sensible attitudes and airspeeds? Partly because FAA certification requirements make it prohibitively expensive to develop software or electronics that go into certified aircraft. It can literally cost $1 million to make a minor change. Sometimes the government protecting us from small risks exposes us to much bigger ones.
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comments in descending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2010-02-10 14:12:23.72928+01 by:
meuon
I've seen a lot of that attitude in government and regulatory bodies. Every get a device ANSI certified and then make changes to it? I've seen the process from the fringe, and it'll make you cringe. It's a good thing to get certified, designs reviewed, etc.. but it should not be so punitive a process to punish progress.
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