FAA to order new inspections of Airbus A300-600 aircraft

Airline Industry Information, March 12, 2002

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2002 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is planning to order new inspections of Airbus A300-600 tails after investigators discovered signs of damage to the tail fin of an A300-600 aircraft.

Following the crash of American Airlines flight 587 soon after takeoff from John F Kennedy Airport in New York in November 2001, the FAA ordered airlines to visually inspect the Airbus A300-600 tails, which are made of a non-metallic composite material. The agency also examined the tail of American Airlines flight 903, which became unsteady during a flight in May 1997. The inspection revealed signs that internal layers of the carbon-reinforced composite fin, or vertical stabilizer, had begun to separate from each other at one of six points where the component connects to the tail section of the fuselage.

Due to this information the agency will order ultrasound inspections of the tails of those Airbus aircraft that have either hit turbulence or have had sharp rudder movements, reported The Associated Press.

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