The A300 and A310 aircraft have onventional' control, that is, physical control of the aircraft is transmitted by mechanical or hydraulic means to most of the flight control surfaces. The normal flight control of the Airbus A320, A321, A330 and A340 aircraft, in contrast, is achieved by computer, to which the pilots' sidestick movements are one set of inputs. The first flight of the Boeing 777 took place on Sunday 12 June, 1994. Airbus claims its design philosophy is volutionary', that is, the systems are not designed from scratch, but introduced gradually into the company's designs after success in previous designs. A version of this paper is to appear in High Integrity Systems journal.
Human factors are very important.
In these accidents the physical performance of the airplane is generally not a factor, but they may nevertheless be computer-related, since guidance and air traffic control relies on computers to various degrees. Aircraft accidents are amongst the most well-studied of failures in any engineering discipline. I have never held any position in the aviation industry, but some of my research interests and hobbies bring me there. I wish I could be better at both.