Air France flight AF-457 made an emergency landing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 10th.
The Boeing 777-300 plane took off for Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, but had to turn back due to issues with the speed indicators, autopilot and auto thrust.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Air Malta flight KM-467 had to return and make an emergency landing at Paris Orly Airport, France, on September 5th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane took off for Malta but had to turn back after the crew noticed autopilot problems.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
Azul Linhas Aereas flight AD-8704 had to return and make an emergency landing at Viracopos International Airport, Brazil, on July 23rd.
The Airbus A330-200 plane took off for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but had to turn back after both autopilots failed.
The plane landed back safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-1068 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia, on February 18th.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Newark, New Jersey, to Bogota, Colombia, was diverted after both autopilots failed.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained safe.
Transavia flight HV-6531 had to make an emergency landing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 3rd.
The Boeing 737-700 plane heading from Eindhoven, Netherlands, to Tel Aviv, Israel, was diverted after both autopilots failed.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
United Airlines flight UA-1418 made an emergency landing in Calgary, Canada, on October 13th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane was flying from Houston, Texas, when the crew declared an emergency due to problems with autopilot system and possible issues with nose gear.
The plane landed uneventfully. All 64 people aboard remained safe.
What: United Airlines en route to San Francisco
Where: LAX
When: April 17, 2011
Why: After takeoff, the autopilot took control and would not relinquish it. The pilot had no control over the plane, but then was able to turn off autopilot and return to the airport.
The news release of this event does not mention the type of plane; but I am not surprised at first research that it appears to have been an Airbus A320. Fortunately, the pilot regained control, and there were no injuries. But this kind of problem with an airbus could have significance relating to all fly by wire aircraft, which have the capacity to lock out the pilot.
We need more information about this event. It should be published heavily, and we should be hearing some alerts and safety directives from Airbus.