Incident: unknown

Published Date: 2022-05-18

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the intentional crash of a China Eastern flight happened in March, as reported in Article 128319. 2. The article was published on 2022-05-18. 3. Therefore, the software failure incident occurred in March 2022.
System unknown
Responsible Organization 1. The software failure incident in the China Eastern flight crash was caused by human input into the controls, leading to the plane's fatal descent [128319].
Impacted Organization 1. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines was impacted by the software failure incident, leading to the fatal crash that resulted in the loss of 132 passengers and crew members on board [Article 128319].
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. The preliminary assessment suggested that someone in the cockpit intentionally brought down the plane, as indicated by data from the flight data recorder [128319]. 2. Speculations about intentional crashing of the plane by the copilot circulated widely in China, leading to concerns about the mental health of aviation personnel [128319].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident involving the intentional crash of the China Eastern flight resulted in the tragic loss of all 132 passengers and crew on board, making it the deadliest air disaster in China in decades [128319]. 2. The incident led to speculation and rumors, including discussions about the mental health of aviation personnel and the possibility of deliberate actions by individuals in the cockpit, causing disruptions and concerns within the aviation industry and the public [128319]. 3. The software failure incident raised questions about the safety and security protocols within the aviation sector, prompting investigations by both Chinese and U.S. authorities to determine the cause of the crash and prevent similar incidents in the future [128319].
Preventions 1. Implementing stricter access controls and authentication measures for cockpit systems to prevent unauthorized individuals from manipulating flight controls [128319]. 2. Conducting regular mental health assessments for pilots and crew members to identify any potential psychological issues that could impact their performance [128319]. 3. Enhancing training programs for aviation personnel to recognize and respond to suspicious behavior or unauthorized actions in the cockpit [128319]. 4. Improving communication and reporting mechanisms within the aviation industry to address and investigate any concerns related to the mental health or behavior of flight crew members [128319].
Fixes 1. Conduct a thorough analysis of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to understand the sequence of events leading to the intentional crash of the China Eastern flight [128319].
References 1. The Wall Street Journal [128319] 2. Junta Nacional de Seguridad en el Transporte (NTSB) [128319] 3. Administración de Aviación Civil de China (CAAC) [128319] 4. China Eastern Airlines [128319] 5. Global Times [128319]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown <Article 128319> does not mention any software failure incident related to either one_organization or multiple_organization. Therefore, the information about the software failure incident happening again at a specific organization or across multiple organizations is unknown based on this article.
Phase (Design/Operation) unknown The news article does not provide information related to a software failure incident occurring due to the development phases (design or operation). Therefore, it is unknown whether the incident was related to design or operation factors.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the China Eastern flight crash in March was attributed to human input into the controls leading to the plane's fatal descent. The data extracted from the damaged flight data recorder indicated that human commands within the cockpit caused the aircraft to crash [128319]. This indicates that the failure originated from within the system, specifically from human actions within the cockpit. (b) outside_system: The articles do not provide information indicating that the software failure incident was caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system.
Nature (Human/Non-human) human_actions (a) The article does not mention any software failure incident related to non-human actions. (b) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to human actions. The data extracted from the damaged flight data recorder of the China Eastern flight that crashed in March suggests that human inputs into the controls led to the plane's fatal descent. The Wall Street Journal reported that the plane did what someone in the cabin told it to do, indicating human actions as contributing factors to the incident [128319].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) unknown The articles do not provide information about a software or hardware failure incident related to the mentioned software failure incident occurring due to hardware or software factors.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious [128319] The software failure incident related to the China Eastern flight crash in March was potentially malicious. The data from the recovered flight data recorder suggested that someone in the cockpit intentionally gave commands that led to the plane's fatal descent. The Wall Street Journal reported that human input into the controls caused the plane to crash, indicating a deliberate action. The focus of the investigation was on the actions of a pilot, with the possibility that someone else on the plane may have breached the cockpit and intentionally caused the crash. The Chinese investigators did not find any mechanical or technical issues with the aircraft that could have caused the crash, supporting the assessment of potential malicious intent behind the software failure incident.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown <Article 128319> The software failure incident related to the intentional crash of the China Eastern flight in March was not directly attributed to a software failure. The incident was reported to have been caused by human input into the flight controls, leading to the fatal descent of the aircraft. The preliminary evaluation suggested that someone in the cockpit intentionally directed the plane to crash, as indicated by data extracted from the damaged flight data recorder [128319]. Therefore, based on the information provided in the article, the intent of the software failure incident does not align with either poor_decisions or accidental_decisions related to software failure. Instead, it was attributed to intentional human actions rather than software-related factors.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence or accidental factors. Therefore, the information about both options is 'unknown'.
Duration unknown The articles do not provide information about a software failure incident related to either a permanent or temporary duration.
Behaviour crash, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article resulted in a crash as the Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed, leading to the death of all 132 passengers and crew on board [128319]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance in the article. (c) timing: There is no specific mention of the software performing its intended functions too late or too early in the article. (d) value: The software failure incident in the article led to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, as the orders entered by a human into the controls of the aircraft caused it to plummet to its deadly descent [128319]. (e) byzantine: There is no specific mention of the software behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions in the article. (f) other: The other behavior observed in the software failure incident is that the software followed commands entered by a human into the controls, leading to the fatal crash of the aircraft [128319].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence death, harm (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - The software failure incident involving the China Eastern flight resulted in a fatal crash that led to the deaths of all 132 passengers and crew on board [128319].
Domain transportation The software failure incident reported in the news article [128319] is related to the transportation industry. Specifically, the incident involved a China Eastern flight that crashed in March, resulting in the deaths of 132 passengers and crew members. The failure of the system, as indicated by data retrieved from the flight data recorder, was attributed to human input into the controls leading to the fatal descent of the aircraft. The investigation focused on the actions of the pilot and the possibility of deliberate interference by someone else in the aircraft, ultimately suggesting intentional human intervention as the cause of the crash. The incident has raised concerns about aviation safety and the mental health of aviation personnel, prompting investigations and denials of rumors regarding the pilot's alleged suicide as the cause of the accident.

Sources

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