Could Your iPad Bring Down a Plane?

Boeing says the iPad is the worst offender for signals that could cause interference with aircraft equipment, according to ABCNews. Blackberrys and iPhones are also said to be well over the accepted limit.

A recent report by The International Air Transport Association (IATA) looked at 75 incidents of "electronic interference" in flight system that pilots and crew believed to be caused by portable electronic devices.

Twenty-six of the incidents in the report affected the flight controls, including the autopilot, autothrust and landing gear. Seventeen affected navigation systems, while 15 affected communication systems. Thirteen of the incidents produced electronic warnings, including "engine indications." The type of personal device most often suspected in the incidents were cell phones, linked to four out of ten.


Dave Carson of Boeing says that personal electronic devices radiate signals that can disrupt highly sensitive electronic sensors hidden in the plane's passenger area. ABC's own aviation expert John Nance disagrees with the findings.

"There is a lot of anecdotal evidence out there, but it's not evidence at all," said Nance, a former Air Force and commercial pilot. "It's pilots, like myself, who thought they saw something but they couldn't pin it to anything in particular. And those stories are not rampant enough, considering 32,000 flights a day over the U.S., to be convincing. If an airplane is properly hardened, in terms of the sheathing of the electronics, there's no way interference can occur."

One would think that if the Federal Aviation Administration approved the iPad as an alternative to paper charts, it would be safe for airplane use.

Read More [via RegHardware] [via Troy]