Passengers and airlines have become too complacent about the use of electronic devices on board aircraft, according to an article in Tuesday's New York Times. One report filed by a pilot with NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System told of an incident in which the navigation equipment on a Boeing 737 failed after takeoff, but came back online after a flight attendant told a passenger to turn off a handheld GPS device. However, it wasn't clear how the GPS device might have had an effect, or if it was pure coincidence. The links may be difficult to prove, but engineer Bill Strauss told the Times the growing use of such devices aloft is "worrisome." They may be harmless much of the time, but a combination of rare events -- the kind of "accident chain" that causes many aviation accidents -- could have disastrous results.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/safety-concerns-persist-for-electronics-aloft