fartknocker
Pitot Heat Operator
- Joined
- May 23, 2004
- Posts
- 203
I know this is a few days old, but wanted to see what A-300 pilots thought about this?
I don't want to turn this into an Airbus bashing. Is this a real problem? Is anyone even a bit nervous to be on an Airbus?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-26-airbus-rudder_x.htm
Posted 3/26/2006 10:18 PM
NTSB investigators sound alarm on Airbus rudder
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Federal aviation investigators say that a plan by jet manufacturer Airbus that urges airlines to inspect certain jets for a possible serious safety problem is "inadequate" and that the inspections need to be done faster.
The National Transportation Safety Board has called for a swift round of inspections after damage was found on an Airbus jet that could lead to the type of crash that killed 265 people in New York City in 2001.
Airbus said it "remains confident in the operating safety of these aircraft and our original recommendations for inspection." However, the European jetmaker said it would work with the NTSB and other aviation agencies to ensure its A300 and A310 planes are safe.
The NTSB issued an "urgent" recommendation on Friday calling for carriers to immediately examine the rudders on A300 and A310 jets. Last fall, FedEx maintenance workers found a 3-foot section of the rudder had begun to break apart on one of its A300 jets.
The discovery comes after a nearly identical Airbus A310 lost its rudder — a movable panel on the tail that pushes the jet's nose left or right — during a flight from Cuba to Canada a year ago. Investigators have determined that the rudder broke off with such force that it almost tore off the entire vertical fin on the tail, according to the NTSB's letter urging the inspections. The jet landed safely in Cuba.
The tail fin, which keeps an aircraft stable, broke off an American Airlines A300 shortly after takeoff in New York on Nov. 12, 2001. The crash was the second-worst air disaster in this country's history.
The NTSB ruled that the 2001 accident was caused by one of the pilots. But the NTSB's recommendation letter says a similar disaster could occur if flaws in the rudder go undetected. "The resulting safety risks associated with the potential loss of the rudder or vertical (tail fin) are severe," the letter says.
The A300 and A310 rudders are made of composite materials, fibers held together by glue. Composites are lighter than metal and do not corrode, but flaws are more difficult to detect. They can also be susceptible to corrosive chemicals. The cracked FedEx rudder was filled with hydraulic fluid.
In unusually tough language, the NTSB letter took Airbus to task for what it called an inadequate response. Airbus has ordered its customers to inspect the rudders within 500 flights or six months. The NTSB said waiting that long was "unacceptable."
The NTSB, which has no power to regulate, issued its recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown says the agency is about to issue a requirement to inspect the jets.
The Canadian Transportation Safety Board, the lead investigation agency on last year's Air Transat flight from Cuba, plans to issue a similar recommendation today, spokesman Christian Plouffe says.
Only American Airlines, with 34 A300s, carries passengers on the jet in this country. Three cargo carriers use the A300 or the A310 in the USA, according to the Air Transport Association annual report. The recommendation would apply to about 400 jets worldwide.
I don't want to turn this into an Airbus bashing. Is this a real problem? Is anyone even a bit nervous to be on an Airbus?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-26-airbus-rudder_x.htm
Posted 3/26/2006 10:18 PM
NTSB investigators sound alarm on Airbus rudder
By Alan Levin, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Federal aviation investigators say that a plan by jet manufacturer Airbus that urges airlines to inspect certain jets for a possible serious safety problem is "inadequate" and that the inspections need to be done faster.
The National Transportation Safety Board has called for a swift round of inspections after damage was found on an Airbus jet that could lead to the type of crash that killed 265 people in New York City in 2001.
Airbus said it "remains confident in the operating safety of these aircraft and our original recommendations for inspection." However, the European jetmaker said it would work with the NTSB and other aviation agencies to ensure its A300 and A310 planes are safe.
The NTSB issued an "urgent" recommendation on Friday calling for carriers to immediately examine the rudders on A300 and A310 jets. Last fall, FedEx maintenance workers found a 3-foot section of the rudder had begun to break apart on one of its A300 jets.
The discovery comes after a nearly identical Airbus A310 lost its rudder — a movable panel on the tail that pushes the jet's nose left or right — during a flight from Cuba to Canada a year ago. Investigators have determined that the rudder broke off with such force that it almost tore off the entire vertical fin on the tail, according to the NTSB's letter urging the inspections. The jet landed safely in Cuba.
The tail fin, which keeps an aircraft stable, broke off an American Airlines A300 shortly after takeoff in New York on Nov. 12, 2001. The crash was the second-worst air disaster in this country's history.
The NTSB ruled that the 2001 accident was caused by one of the pilots. But the NTSB's recommendation letter says a similar disaster could occur if flaws in the rudder go undetected. "The resulting safety risks associated with the potential loss of the rudder or vertical (tail fin) are severe," the letter says.
The A300 and A310 rudders are made of composite materials, fibers held together by glue. Composites are lighter than metal and do not corrode, but flaws are more difficult to detect. They can also be susceptible to corrosive chemicals. The cracked FedEx rudder was filled with hydraulic fluid.
In unusually tough language, the NTSB letter took Airbus to task for what it called an inadequate response. Airbus has ordered its customers to inspect the rudders within 500 flights or six months. The NTSB said waiting that long was "unacceptable."
The NTSB, which has no power to regulate, issued its recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown says the agency is about to issue a requirement to inspect the jets.
The Canadian Transportation Safety Board, the lead investigation agency on last year's Air Transat flight from Cuba, plans to issue a similar recommendation today, spokesman Christian Plouffe says.
Only American Airlines, with 34 A300s, carries passengers on the jet in this country. Three cargo carriers use the A300 or the A310 in the USA, according to the Air Transport Association annual report. The recommendation would apply to about 400 jets worldwide.
