Reply #22: That sounds like a poor assumption [View All]

From what I read of the article, it sounded more like an icing problem.

But at any rate, it's much to early to make any such assumptions. Even the AP article goes way too far out on a limb in the assumptions category. The statement, "malfunctioning equipment made it impossible for pilots to know how fast they were flying" doesn't pass the sniff test and neither does, "A similar breakdown is believed to have played a role in the Air France crash into the Atlantic that killed all 228 people aboard in June." Believed by whom? The AP? Right.

Instrument failures are part of the training routine for all pilots from the drivers of 2 seat Piper Cubs all the way up to the crews of the Airbus A380. The failure of a single system should never spell disaster for any flight.