September 20, 2073

International Transportation Safety Board Hearing

New Portland, MT

Taylor Frost: next we will hear from AI Flight System MB 547 known as (Frost scrolls through his tablet) Margaret Floy.

A pale gray figure in a becoming navy skirt, jacket, and sensible heels, walked towards the interview desk. With silky movements, the oddly beautiful android sat down and surveyed the panel. There was a murmur from the press section. Frost tapped his gavel.

Frost: ( pause) umm thank you for agreeing to give evidence on Flight 408 before this panel.

Washington Edwards: I don’t see why this is necessary. We have the black box evidence already. Why couldn’t this computer’s data be downloaded and reported? This robot malfunctioned, it doesn’t need to explain—

Margaret Floy: I’m not an it. I’m not a robot in a factory or a tricked out Teddy Ruckin. I’m an intelligence designed to fly planes. Captain McQuillan and I flew a DC 109 with 1088 passengers where one of its three engines ripped off during takeoff. We flew with reduced power, through a stall, and with a knocked out warning system. We flew and we landed safely roughly but safely in a park just outside the airport. No souls were lost.

Edwards: is it true you malfunctioned in the cockpit? That you became irrational and took control from the pilot, the human pilot!

Floy: ( made a sound that resembled chuckling)you make me sound like Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Sierra Perez: let’s cut the crap. I want to know what happened. Start at the beginning.

Floy: I can start at how was United Global was able to cut 200 man hours out of airplane maintenance procedures per cycle. Or I can start at pylon cracks issues that FAA let slid because another UG ‘s failure like those pesky cargo door failures would tank the industry. Or I can start with my very existence as an artificial intelligence pilot is a bat to break the back of the pilot union. I didn’t take control from Captain McQuillan. I told Mac I felt the left engine was gone not merely stopped. I felt it because I’m a machine and the plane is a machine. Mac and I have flown together for nearly a year and we trust each other. And I didn’t malfunction I cried when we landed in that park in one piece because I’m a machine that is also a person and I was scared shitless. Now are we going to talk about maintenance workarounds and piss poor oversight or are we gonna play blame the lady robot as more DCs fall from the skies.

Silence. Then the reporter gallery erupted in applause.