Pilots warned against sharp rudder motions

RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, AND ERIC MALNIC, LOS ANGELES TIMES

WASHINGTON -- Federal officials said Friday that they have uncovered a new aviation safety problem that under rare circumstances could cause any jetliner's tail to break off.

The National Transportation Safety Board urged immediate changes in training procedures to warn pilots against making sharp, back-and-forth rudder movements that could put excessive strain on a plane's vertical tail fin.

"We have calculated that certain rudder-movement inputs by pilots could cause a catastrophic failure of an airliner's vertical tail fin," said NTSB chairwoman Marion Blakey. "This concern is not limited to the A300, or even to Airbus models. Our concern is industry-wide."

The Federal Aviation Administration, which sets safety standards for the industry, said it would quickly comply with the NTSB advisory. "We agree with the safety intent and the substance of the recommendation," said spokesman Les Dorr.

The warning arises out of the safety board's investigation of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in November, shortly after takeoff from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The tail fin of the A300 jet tore off, making the plane unflyable. The crash killed all 260 people aboard and five on the ground.

The cause of that accident -- and indeed, whether pilot actions played any role -- has yet to be determined. The NTSB is also investigating possible flaws in the composite material used to build the 27-foot-long tail fin.

Beyond Flight 587

Blakey said the board's analysis and simulations went beyond the crash of Flight 587, revealing a potential safety problem that could affect some 15,000 jetliners flying around the globe.

Pilots questioned the recommendation. They say they usually avoid making sharp rudder movements.

"To apply full rudder in opposite directions in rapid succession is something that a pilot would not do," said Barry Schiff, a retired airline captain and safety consultant.

Industry officials said the condition described by the agency is so rare that it is hard to draw any immediate conclusions. In more than 300 million flights by modern jetliners, there has been no case of a tail snapping off because of rudder movements initiated by pilots.

"The NTSB has identified an important issue here in terms of pilot awareness of how their airplanes behave," said Rich Breuhaus, Boeing's chief aviation safety investigator. "But it would be unfortunate if the recommendation was misconstrued that there was somehow a serious problem with the world's airplanes. The service history of these airplanes stands up pretty darn well."

The Olympian Copyright 2002

back to main Home Page Stories index