If the autopilot were off, however, a thrust "would create a dip in the wing," Soucie says, that could pull the plane slightly. If the autopilot is engaged, as it normally would be at cruising altitude, computers would sense a single thrusting engine and correct to keep the plane on course. But planes are balanced by design to compensate for this so that "you can shut one engine down and keep the other at full throttle and it won’t flip the plane over fly sideways," Soucie says. If the thrust increases in one engine and not the other, it will produce torque that might cause the plane to become imbalanced. He told WIRED this scenario can occur if the plane's autopilot is not engaged. Many critics took issue with the idea of a plane flying "sideways," but this likely refers to the plane's nose veering slightly to the side of its intended course as a result of the engine thrust, says David Soucie, a former investigator with the Federal Aviation Authority.
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