Aug. 15--Garmin has temporarily halted shipments of its flagship aviation product, the G1000 all-glass cockpit, because of a glitch in one instrument in the avionics system.
The problem involves the digital cockpit system's Attitude and Heading Reference System, or AHRS, the component that lets pilots know their plane or jet is flying level, Olathe-based Garmin said in a release Tuesday.
The problem -- officially a "higher than normal failure rate" -- was discovered during routine flight tests conducted by manufacturers. The problem is not thought to be present in any systems already shipped by manufacturers to buyers, said Jessica Myers, a Garmin spokeswoman.
However, she said, even if a system failed in the air, the Garmin system has a backup.
Garmin told manufacturers the problem cropped up in avionics systems manufactured after May 1. Myers said the company had not found the source of the problem and had no timetable yet for when it would be fixed.
A volatile day on Wall Street and news of the G1000 problems contributed to a 7.63 percent drop in the value of Garmin shares Tuesday. Shares closed at $92.61, down $7.65.
Garmin's G1000, sometimes referred to as the "all-glass" cockpit, replaces the analog gauges traditionally used in aircraft. Although Garmin does not disclose the cost of the digital cockpit, it can add $40,000 or more to an aircraft's price tag.
The AHRS is one component in the G1000, which includes high-resolution color screens that display things such as the plane's airspeed and detailed, up-to-the-minute weather maps.
In tests, when the AHRS failed, other components of the G1000 continued to work, Myers said.
Garmin has established new tests to make sure a similar problem does not occur again, Myers said.
Columbia Aircraft, a manufacturer based in Bend, Ore., said the problem with the avionics system led to the layoff of 300 workers on Monday.
"This latest supplier-driven interruption is very frustrating," Wan Majid, Columbia's president, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, this means that we have no alternative but to furlough portions of our work force until the issue is resolved."
Myers said the G1000 shutdown affected several other aircraft manufacturers, including Cessna, Piper and Mooney. Other manufacturers continue to build planes but are delaying shipment of those aircraft until the G1000 issue is resolved, she said
Columbia has been going through layoffs and furloughs since March, unrelated to the G1000 issue.
To reach David Hayes, call 816-234-4904 or send e-mail to [email protected]
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