Orders to check engine software of A400M aircraft following a recent crash. Source: Wikipedia.Airbus Defence and Space has ordered engine software checks on the A400M aircraft following a recent crash of Europe's new military transporter.

The directive comes after a potential anomaly was detected in the system running the plane’s turboprop engines. One person familiar with the findings was quoted as saying there may be a “quality” problem as opposed to a fundamental design flaw.

In May, four crew members were killed when an A400M aircraft crashed in Spain during a predelivery flight test. Airbus issued an alert asking air forces to look at the plane’s “Electronic Control Unit” (ECU) before the next flight.

"To avoid potential risks in any future flights, Airbus Defence and Space has informed the operators about necessary actions to take," according to an Airbus statement.

It is a precautionary measure which is part of our continued airworthiness activities, an Airbus spokeswoman says.

The ECU is one of two pieces of software that make up the engine control system, or FADEC, whose development was led by Munich-based MTU Aero Engines.