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Safety group makes urgent call for Airbus rudder inspections CBC News \|\| March 29, 2006 The Canadian body that investigates airline crashes has warned airlines to "urgently develop and implement" new inspection programs to prevent the loss of the rudder on certain types of Airbus jetliners. The warning is contained in an interim report issued on Monday by the federal Transportation Safety Board (TSB). That dealt with the flight of an Air Transat Airbus A310 which lost its rudder about half an hour after taking off from Cuba in March 2005. The TSB considers the matter urgent because the flaws in the rudder are difficult to detect. "The current inspection program for Airbus composite rudders may not be adequate to provide for the timely detection of defects," the TSB report maintained. An official with the federal group told CBC News Online that inspectors checked about 400 Airbus rudders of a similar type following the Air Transat accident, and some flaws were found. He did not elaborate. Transport Canada spokeswoman Lucy Vignola said the aircraft are "completely considered safe." She said federal authorities last year ordered airlines to give Airbus rudders an external inspection. They have now extended this order to internal, x-ray inspections. Air Transat has 10 Airbus A310s, which were inspected following the accident. They were considered safe. Air Canada has 12 of the larger Airbus A330s and 11 of the four-engined Airbus A340s but they have different rudders. They have all passed recent inspections, Vignola said. The Airbus flight that sparked the report started rolling when the rudder broke off at 35,000 feet. The report says the plane entered a repetitive rolling motion, what's called a Dutch roll. Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com An Air Transat spokesman said the crew never lost control. They brought the plane down to 19,000 feet. That's when the rolling stopped. They returned to Cuba and landed at Varadero airport without further incident. The plane was carrying 262 passengers, two pilots and seven flight attendants when the rudder blew off with a large bang. The rudder is the vertical part of the tail of an aircraft. It is used to steer an aircraft. The accident was considered so serious that the TSB issued an interim report that urged airlines and regulatory bodies worldwide to find a better way to prevent such accidents from happening. "We issued an interim report because we didn't want to wait for the full report," a TSB spokesman said from head office in Hull, Que., when asked why it took one year to come up with the urgent warning. "We can only recommend as fast as we can." The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB] has also called for a swift round of inspections after investigating the same incident. 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 three-foot section of the rudder had begun to break apart on one of its A300 jets. 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. Nick Stoss, director of air investigations for the TSB, told CBC News Online that this was the first failure of this type on an Airbus A310. But tails have broken off other Airbus aircraft for a variety of reasons. The tail of an American Airlines Airbus broke off in late 2001, leading to a crash over a New York suburb that killed 265 people. That accident was blamed on pilot error. About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Weekly Features Archive
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Safety group makes urgent call for Airbus rudder inspections

CBC News || March 29, 2006

The Canadian body that investigates airline crashes has warned airlines to "urgently develop and implement" new inspection programs to prevent the loss of the rudder on certain types of Airbus jetliners.

The warning is contained in an interim report issued on Monday by the federal Transportation Safety Board (TSB). That dealt with the flight of an Air Transat Airbus A310 which lost its rudder about half an hour after taking off from Cuba in March 2005.

The TSB considers the matter urgent because the flaws in the rudder are difficult to detect.

"The current inspection program for Airbus composite rudders may not be adequate to provide for the timely detection of defects," the TSB report maintained.

An official with the federal group told CBC News Online that inspectors checked about 400 Airbus rudders of a similar type following the Air Transat accident, and some flaws were found. He did not elaborate.

Transport Canada spokeswoman Lucy Vignola said the aircraft are "completely considered safe." She said federal authorities last year ordered airlines to give Airbus rudders an external inspection. They have now extended this order to internal, x-ray inspections.

Air Transat has 10 Airbus A310s, which were inspected following the accident. They were considered safe.

Air Canada has 12 of the larger Airbus A330s and 11 of the four-engined Airbus A340s but they have different rudders.

They have all passed recent inspections, Vignola said.

The Airbus flight that sparked the report started rolling when the rudder broke off at 35,000 feet. The report says the plane entered a repetitive rolling motion, what's called a Dutch roll.

Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com

An Air Transat spokesman said the crew never lost control. They brought the plane down to 19,000 feet. That's when the rolling stopped. They returned to Cuba and landed at Varadero airport without further incident.

The plane was carrying 262 passengers, two pilots and seven flight attendants when the rudder blew off with a large bang.

The rudder is the vertical part of the tail of an aircraft. It is used to steer an aircraft.

The accident was considered so serious that the TSB issued an interim report that urged airlines and regulatory bodies worldwide to find a better way to prevent such accidents from happening.

"We issued an interim report because we didn't want to wait for the full report," a TSB spokesman said from head office in Hull, Que., when asked why it took one year to come up with the urgent warning. "We can only recommend as fast as we can."

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB] has also called for a swift round of inspections after investigating the same incident.

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 three-foot section of the rudder had begun to break apart on one of its A300 jets.

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.

Nick Stoss, director of air investigations for the TSB, told CBC News Online that this was the first failure of this type on an Airbus A310. But tails have broken off other Airbus aircraft for a variety of reasons.

The tail of an American Airlines Airbus broke off in late 2001, leading to a crash over a New York suburb that killed 265 people. That accident was blamed on pilot error.