In October 2022, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a new rule for the Airbus A220. The rule orders airlines to update software in the aircraft’s engines. The problem it fixes had already caused a serious scare on a flight in Europe.
What actually went wrong with the A220’s engines — and how can a software update stop it from happening again?
A Frightening Landing in Copenhagen
On 11 July 2021, an airBaltic Airbus A220-300 was landing in Copenhagen, Denmark, after a flight from Riga, the capital of Latvia. The A220 is a modern, single-aisle passenger jet with two engines, built by Airbus and flown by airlines all over the world. As this particular aircraft touched down, something strange happened: both engines shut down at the same moment.
The pilots did not need engine power to stop the aircraft. They used the wheel brakes and reverse thrust — engine power pushed backwards to slow the plane down — from the moment of touchdown, and the aircraft came to a safe stop on the runway. No one on board was hurt, and the aircraft was towed to the gate soon afterwards. But the incident worried aviation experts. If both engines had shut down earlier, during the flight itself, the result could have been far more dangerous.
Investigators later found the cause. The A220’s engines are controlled by a computer system called a FADEC, short for Full Authority Digital Engine Control. During the landing, the autothrottle — the system that automatically sets engine power — had briefly increased power, and then the pilot asked for idle power. This created a short “disagreement” between the power the computer expected and the power the engines were actually producing. The FADEC’s safety logic misread this disagreement as a serious engine fault, and it shut both engines down as a safety measure.
The FAA Steps In
More than a year later, in October 2022, the FAA published a new rule about the problem. The rule tells airlines to update the FADEC software on every Airbus A220 powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines — an engine used by airlines around the world, not just airBaltic. Once the rule became final, airlines had twelve months to make the change on each aircraft in their fleet.
The new software fixes the mistake in the FADEC’s logic, so the same “disagreement” between commanded power and actual power cannot cause an unwanted engine shutdown again. Airlines were required to check their maintenance and technical records to confirm which software version each aircraft was running, and to schedule the update during routine maintenance.
The FAA’s decision came directly from what investigators learned in Copenhagen — proof that even one safe landing can lead to a rule that protects passengers on flights everywhere. It is also a reminder that modern aircraft depend on software as much as on mechanical parts, so a small coding problem can matter just as much as a physical one.
The article explains that the autothrottle briefly increased engine power and then the pilot asked for idle power. This created a short “disagreement” between the power the computer expected and the power the engines were actually producing — and the FADEC’s safety logic wrongly read that disagreement as a serious fault, so it shut down both engines.
The article says the incident happened at the moment of touchdown, when the aircraft no longer needed engine power. It also says that “if both engines had shut down earlier, during the flight itself, the result could have been far more dangerous.” This is why the FAA still ordered every A220 with the same engine to be fixed — a safe outcome once does not mean the fault was safe.
- FADEC (noun) – the computer system that controls an aircraft’s engines. Typical use: “the A220’s engines are controlled by a computer system called a FADEC”.
- autothrottle (noun) – the system that automatically sets engine power during flight. Typical use: “the autothrottle had briefly increased power”.
- reverse thrust (noun phrase) – engine power pushed backwards to help slow an aircraft after landing. Typical use: “the pilots used the wheel brakes and reverse thrust”.
- software update (noun phrase) – a new version of a computer program that fixes a problem. Typical use: “the rule tells airlines to update the FADEC software”.
For another case of regulators ordering a fleet-wide fix after a scare in the air, read about the FAA’s oxygen-clamp order for the Airbus A350.
CEFR Level B1 / ICAO Level 4