No Man's Land: The Untold Story of Automation on QF72

Kevin Sullivan

2019-05 · Bolinda · Skaito Brett Cousins

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Former US Navy Top Gun Kevin Sullivan, captain of the ill-fated Perth-bound QF72, breaks his silence to give a gripping account of how a rogue computer went 'psycho', causing the Airbus A330 he was piloting to pitch down, nose first, towards the Indian Ocean – twice. Unlike other well-publicised near air disasters, the plane carrying 315 passengers and crew was out of control, a g-force of –8 propelling anyone and anything untethered through the cabin roof. It took the extraordinary skill and presence of mind of the veteran Top Gun to wrestle back control of the plane in order to perform a dramatic, high-stakes emergency landing at a RAAF base on the WA coast 1200 kilometres north of Perth. More than 100 injured people, many seriously, were airlifted to hospital. As automation becomes the way of the future, the story of QF72 raises important questions about how much control we relinquish to computers and whether more checks and balances are needed.

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Captain Kevin 'Sully' Sullivan has made flying his passion and his life for the past 40 years. He graduated in 1977 from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering and earned his FAA Private Pilot Licence there before pursuing a career in the United States Navy.

Brett Cousins is a well-established actor, writer, director and voiceover artist. He performed in the Australian Premiere season of the acclaimed play, Dance Nation, by Claire Barron at Red Stitch Actors Theatre, as well as appearing in the international feature film The Whistleblower. He has also completed work on Habitat, a short film he wrote, directed and acted in, while also serving in the Victorian sub-committee of the Australian Writers Guild.