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A Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330‑900neo operating a long‑haul transatlantic flight was forced to divert to Manchester Airport after crew reported a sudden loss of airspeed and related automation failures, triggering an emergency descent and turnback midway across the North Atlantic.
Incident Overview
- The aircraft—on a scheduled flight to North America—was cruising at approximately FL 370 when the flight crew observed a sudden drop in indicated airspeed.
- Simultaneously, passengers and crew noted failures in the autopilot and CPDLC communications system. The cockpit displayed ECAM warnings including “Flight Controls Alternate Law” and trim messages, indicating degraded flight control functionality.
- The aircraft descended rapidly to FL 280, exiting RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum) airspace and disabling automated flight control modes. Crew transitioned to hand‑flying the aircraft manually.
- After stabilizing systems, the crew declared an emergency and diverted to Manchester, landing safely hours later with standard emergency services on standby.
Technical & Operational Insights
- The initial autopilot failure and CPDLC inoperative led to Loss of RVSM capability and forced manual control. The crew executed a rapid descent—dropping ~9,000 ft within minutes—to stabilize flight parameters.
- Despite the severity of the alerts, the aircraft remained controllable, and pilot intervention prevented escalation.
- Crew followed standard protocols for degraded automation: manual flight, safe descent, communication with ATC, and precautionary diversion.
Broader Significance
- The incident underscores the critical role of automation systems—such as autopilot and CPDLC—in maintaining high-altitude stability. Sudden failure demands strong crew handling and redundancy awareness.
- It reinforces the value of RVSM airspace protocols, where unexpected departure from controlled cruise levels requires immediate corrective action.
- Historical context shows rising incidents of hydraulic or automation anomalies prompting diversions in Virgin Atlantic widebody aircraft—similar to VS 362’s July 2024 pressurization problem that also caused rapid descent and diversion.