Originally Posted by
marcopolosnap
[SIZE="3"]I know next to nothing about computers and very much less about the 777. That’s about as plain as I can say it, so please don’t jump down my throat if this is considered an “unprofessional” question.
[SIZE=2][FONT="]Over the past several years, cyber-terrorism and cyber-warfare have become front page news, and I expect that, while it is definitely a great concern, it’s been over-hyped by the media. However, one theory that I haven’t heard proposed is that the flight might have been “hijacked” electronically by someone on the ground “hacking” the communication and navigation systems, making them inoperable from the aircraft and flying it as far as the fuel would carry it. Could that be considered a possibility?...
...Comments?
There is an interesting essay on remote takeover of modern Boeing aircraft. It was written as a response to 9/11 conspiracy theorists. Disclaimer: I am not this guy, nor do I know him. I am not endorsing or affirming anything he wrote. I do not know if this has been peer reviewed.
http://aneta.org/theories/Pentagon/Apathoid/index.htm
Conclusion
With modern technology, almost anything is possible; certainly "robo-jets" are possible. The purpose of this essay was to show that taking over an airliner via "remote control" is not as easy as The Lone Gunmen pilot episode made it look. There is no button a ground controller can push to magically take control of an airplane. But, even if there was, the pilots could thwart the takeover attempt by killing the power anyways.
I do know that the technical information in the essay is correct.
I am an A&P/FCC Certificated Mechanic with 20 years of airline experience working on modern airliners in a hangar and line environment. I left the airline industry on August 19, 2005 (AMFA strike on NWA). I know of no way that anyone on the ground could execute a takeover of a modern airliner without some kind of major, extensive avionics modifications (read turning it into a drone).