Some American Airlines pilots want government to look at grounding Airbus planes

Posted 7:52AM on Thursday 28th March 2002 ( 23 years ago )

WASHINGTON - Federal safety officials are reviewing a request by some American Airlines pilots to ground the Airbus A300-600, one of which crashed in New York last year. Spokesmen for the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board said they have received a 70-page report from the pilots. "Serious consideration must be given to grounding the entire A300-600 fleet until its airworthiness can be assured," said a letter accompanying the report, signed by eight pilots. A copy of the report was obtained by The Associated Press. American Airlines and Airbus Industries say the plane is safe. The FAA has ordered new inspections of Airbus A300-600s but has not ordered the aircraft not to fly. The pilots presented the report Wednesday to their union, the Allied Pilots Association. Union representatives are helping the safety board's investigation of the Nov. 12 crash, which killed 265 people. The union has not endorsed the report. Some American pilots in January signed an e-mail petition asking the company to ground the Airbus, but the effort failed. This is the first time pilots have taken their request to the federal government. "The flying public must have assurances that every aircraft they board is designed and maintained to the highest standards," the pilots said. In a statement, American Airlines noted that only eight of its 400 Airbus pilots signed the latest letter, and said no one has refused to fly the plane. "If they don't think the Airbus is airworthy, why are they still flying it?" the airline statement asked. American Flight 587 experienced several sharp side-to-side movements before its tail fell off and the plane crashed shortly after taking off from Kennedy Airport. The FAA this month ordered inspections of A300-600 and A310 planes that experience similar movements. Both planes have tails made of nonmetallic composite materials. In addition, tails of A300-600 planes that have hit turbulence in the past or had sharp rudder movements had ultrasound inspections. American checked two planes and found no damage. The inspections came after safety board investigators found previously undetected damage to the tail of an American Airbus that swayed while trying to land at the airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., in May 1997. Two people were injured. The Airbus that crashed in November had been severely shaken by air turbulence in November 1994 while flying from Barbados to Puerto Rico, injuring 47 people, federal investigators said. In addition, the plane's tail hit the runway while landing at Montego Bay, Jamaica, in December 1997, safety board records show. No one was injured. FAA spokesman Les Dorr said future ultrasound inspections would depend on new evidence, because taking off the tail could cause damage to the plane. In their report, the pilots called for reviewing the process for certifying composite parts, and for redesigning the rudders. They said there have been several instances when the Airbus rudders moved on their own. Airbus officials have said tests show that damage that cannot be seen cannot weaken the tail, and company spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn said the safety board's investigation has not found any safety problems with the plane. "The A300 was and remains a safe aircraft," she said. During their investigation, board investigators discovered that moving a plane's rudder in one direction, followed by a sharp movement in the other direction, could break off the tail fin. The safety board issued such a warning last month. -------- On the Net: National Transportation Safety Board: http://www.ntsb.gov Federal Aviation Administration: http://www.faa.gov Allied Pilots Association: http://www.alliedpilots.org American Airlines: http://www.amrcorp.com Airbus Industrie: http://www.airbus.com

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/3/196830