In the centre stick design , like traditional airplane yokes , both the pilot 's and co-pilot 's controls are mechanically connected together so each pilot has a sense of the control inputs of the other . In typical Airbus side-stick implementations , the sticks are independent . The plane 's computer either aggregates multiple inputs or a pilot can press a " priority button " to lock out inputs from the other side-stick . However , if both side sticks are moved in different directions ( regardless of which pilot has priority ) , then both inputs are cancelled out and an aural " dual input " warning sounds . Examples of this occurrence include the 2009 crash of Air France Flight 447 ( an Airbus A330 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris ) , and the 2015 crash of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 ( an Airbus A320 flying from Surabaya to Singapore )
Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501
Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501
Side-stick