"Our main version is a spontaneous move by the stabiliser into an extreme position that caused the plane to make a steep climb at high speed, " Mr Chernov told Russian NTV television.
"It consolidates the 787's position as the future transatlantic plane of choice, " said Doug McVitie, Managing Director of consultancy firm Arran Aerospace.
The software in the four-seater Piper Warrior light plane will allow Mr Cunningham to receive constant updates on the plane's height, position and speed at the touch of a button.
When a small plane disappeared off the coast of Chile in September, relatives of one of the 17 crash victims helped locate the plane by signing into the deceased passenger's Find My iPhone account and giving investigators its last GPS position.