Part 4/8:

While the pilots navigated these warnings, they were also faced with the approaching thunderstorms. A request to air traffic control for a deviation in flight path to avoid the hazardous weather was granted. However, the ongoing warnings about the rudder travel limitation system continued to distract the crew.

After multiple resets of the problematic computers, the captain made an erroneous decision, allegedly inspired by observing a ground engineer perform a similar action; he pulled the circuit breakers for the affected systems. This reckless move abruptly disconnected the autopilot and thrust the aircraft into 'alternate law,' stripping away critical automated protections. It was a decision that would have dire consequences.