Faulty part ‘major factor’ in AirAsia crash

FAULTY equipment was a “major factor” in the
AirAsia plane crash last December that killed all
162 people on board, Indonesian officials say.
The plane’s rudder control system malfunctioned
four times during the flight – a fault that occurred
23 times in the preceding year, officials said.
Their report added that the crew’s response
contributed to the disaster.
The Airbus A320-200, travelling from Surabaya to
Singapore, crashed into the Java Sea on
December 28 last year
Investigators had initially indicated that stormy
weather was a major factor in the crash –
however, they now say that this was not a cause.
The new report from the National Transport
Safety Committee, released after a year-long
investigation, found that the soldering on a tiny
electronic part in the system that controlled the
rudder was cracked, causing it to send four
warning signals to the pilots.