Did naval base signals make Qantas jet nosedive?
Powerful signals from a US-Australian naval base might have caused a Qantas jumbo jet to to plummet hundreds of feet last month, injuring scores of passengers, say investigators. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is also examining whether a passenger’s laptop might have interfered with the plane’s computer system, according to the preliminary report into the incident where the passenger flight from Singapore to Perth suddenly nosedived from the sky twice in the space of minutes. ATSB capability director Kerryn Macaulay said on Friday that investigators were looking into whether outside interference caused the plane’s computer system to malfunction mid-flight. “Possible external sources of electromagnetic interference are being explored and assessed, including from the Harold E. Holt very low frequency transmitter near Exmouth, WA, and from portable electronic devices on board the aircraft,” she said.
