International Date Line Bug Caused Fighter Aircraft Systems Crash
With our testing community currently hammering away in the “Bug Battle of the TV Networks” this week, it’s time to take a moment to reflect on our February bug-iversary.
On February 11, 2007, during its very first overseas deployment to Okinawa, Japan, six F-22 Raptors flying from Hawaii experienced multiple computer crashes, including navigation, communication and fuel system crashes, when crossing the International Date Line.
The problem arose not from the time change, but from the change in longitude from W179.99 degrees to E180 which occurs on the International Date Line.
The bug could have been potentially fatal, but fortunately, the fighters were able to return to Hawaii using visual contact with their tankers, the aircrafts used for aerial refueling.
If the weather would have taken a turn for the worse causing visibility to be compromised, this would have had a much bleaker ending.
Serious bugs have been on my mind as of late. Among others, Toyota’s experimentation with embedded software isn’t going too well these days. So is any software or testing full-proof? Are we capable of ensuring safety as we increasingly rely on software in our day-to-day lives?
