An uninterruptible autopilot is a proposed system designed to take control of a commercial aircraft away from the pilot or flight crew in the event of a

hijacking Hijacking may refer to: Common usage Computing and technology * Bluejacking, the unsolicited transmission of data via Bluetooth * Brandjacking, the unauthorized use of a company's brand * Browser hijacking * Clickjacking (including ''likej ...

. If implemented, the system would allow the craft to automatically guide itself to a landing at a designated

airstrip An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

. The "uninterruptible"

autopilot An autopilot is a system used to control the path of a vehicle without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle, allow ...

would be activated either by pilots, by onboard sensors, or remotely via radio or satellite links by government agencies, if terrorists attempt to gain control of a flight deck. The pilots or hijackers would then be unable to regain control of the aircraft, which would automatically land safely. A patent for the invention was awarded to

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

in 2006. Conspiracy theorists have claimed that the technology has been secretly fitted to some commercial airliners. Some, including historian

Norman Davies Ivor Norman Richard Davies (born 8 June 1939) is a British and Polish historian, known for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland and the United Kingdom. He has a special interest in Central and Eastern Europe and is UNESCO Profes ...

, have blamed it for the disappearance of

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared from radar on 8 March 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned de ...

, the cause of which is unknown . According to Bob Mann, an airline industry consultant, evidence of an uninterruptible autopilot system being installed in a commercial aircraft has not been publicized and is not proven to exist. Safety concerns, including the possibility that such a system could be hacked, have prevented its roll-out.

References

{{Reflist Aircraft emergency systems Aircraft hijacking Boeing Avionics Aircraft automation

See also

References