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Politics : Piffer Thread on Political Rantings and Ravings

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To: Jorj X Mckie who wrote (7468)3/12/2002 5:30:33 PM
From: Original Mad Dog  Read Replies (1) of 14610
 
It is unconscionable to me that they waited four months to order these inspections. I am not flying the Airbus 300 at this point until this is resolved.....and the regulators have really dropped the ball on this one IMO

story.news.yahoo.com

Airbus jets to undergo inspections
Tue Mar 12, 8:31 AM ET
Alan Levin USA TODAY

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration (news - web sites) will order inspections of some Airbus A300 jets after investigators probing last November's American Airlines crash in New York found a damaged tail fin on another A300, officials said Monday.

American Airlines Flight 587 crashed Nov. 12 after the A300's rudder moved violently back and forth, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (news - web sites) (NTSB (news - web sites)). The jet's 27-foot vertical tail fin tore loose from the fuselage, and the jet plunged into a New York City neighborhood. The crash killed 265 people.

Inspections of another American A300 last week uncovered damage to one of the six structures that attach the tail fin to the fuselage, the NTSB announced Monday. The jet experienced sharp rudder swings during an incident in 1997. The rudder is a panel attached to the rear of the vertical tail fin that moves the jet's nose to the right or left.

In that incident, the A300 went out of control because pilots allowed it to get too slow, the NTSB found. The jet plunged 3,000 feet in about 30 seconds. As the pilots attempted to regain control, they repeatedly moved the rudder back and forth. One person aboard the jet suffered a broken leg.

The jet has flown without any apparent problems since then. Several sources familiar with the investigation said the damage did not appear to be so severe that the jet was unsafe. But the discovery (news - web sites) raises questions about whether undetected damage could be present on other jets. It also confirms the NTSB's concerns that strong rudder movements can damage tail fins on jets.

The FAA and Airbus will comb through records of incidents on A300 jets and inspect the tail fins of any jet that experienced severe rudder movements, an FAA spokeswoman said.

At least two A300s owned by FedEx will be among those inspected, sources said. American, FedEx and UPS are the only U.S. carriers to fly the A300.

The NTSB has not determined what caused the tail fin to break on Flight 587 in November.
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