The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has not ruled out possible electro-magnetic interference from a transmitter near Exmouth in Western Australia as a factor in a Qantas mid-air incident which injured several passengers.
A preliminary report into the incident on the Qantas Airbus A330 in October confirmed that a fault in the flight computer system caused failure messages throughout the flight. The plane nose-dived twice, seriously injuring 13 passengers and causing minor injuries to many others.
While the bureau says it is unlikely, it has not ruled out possible external interference from the Harold E Holt transmitter as a factor.
It says it has not ruled out the use of personal phones and laptops on board the plane as another possible factor.
Serious testing of the computer system will begin on Monday.
