Upside Down and Backwards

One of several versions of the origin of “Murphy’s Law” contends that the Law’s namesake was Captain Ed Murphy, an engineer at Edwards Air Force Base in 1949. Frustration with a transducer which was malfunctioning due to an error in wiring caused him to remark that—if there was any way that something could be done wrong, it would be.

Recent ASRS reports indicate that Captain Murphy’s Law was in full effect when several aircraft components managed to get installed upside down or backwards.

Pernicious Panel Placement

An aircraft Mode Selector Panel that “looks the same” whether right side up or upside down, and that can be readily installed either way, is a good example of a problematic design. Confronted with an inverted panel, this Cessna 560 Captain found out what happens when the wrong button is in the right place.