It seemed like it would be a routine Sunday trip back to Wichita for the crew of a corporate Cessna Citation CJ3. But when a handful of abnormal alerts popped up on the ECAM (electronic centralized aircraft monitor) display, the pilot in command went on alert as well. With a “PFD Compare Fail” noting a discrepancy between the two primary flight displays, he had a feeling it was serious.
Collins GPS & ADS-B Receivers Struck By Failure Modes
Key Takeaways:
- Aircraft equipped with Collins Aerospace GPS-4000S sensors and GLU-2100 multi-mode receivers experienced widespread navigation system failures and alerts, leading to flight cancellations, starting June 9, 2019.
- The issue was traced to a software design error in Collins' GPS-4000S-100 version software, which misinterpreted a "leap second" event during a routine U.S. Government GPS satellite almanac update.
- The software misinterpretation caused the affected units to fail to track satellites upon power-up.
- Collins Aerospace advised operators not to power up the units until after the next scheduled U.S. Government GPS update on June 16, 2019.
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