Airbus Rudder Problems and NTSB Recommendations

New rudder problems have been found on French-made Airbus jets that could cause disasters like the deadly 2001 crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in the Rockaways, federal safety officials warned yesterday.

The rudders of many Airbus passenger jets are made of composite plastic that appears dangerously prone to disintegrating, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

NTSB officials want airlines to immediately comply with recommendations issued by Airbus earlier this month for checks on its A300, A310, A330 and A340 aircraft.

"This urgent recommendation, if acted upon quickly, will go a long way to prevent a catastrophic failure of the rudder," NTSB acting chairman Mark Rosenker said.

The official NTSB press release contains references to several incidents in 2005 that related to separation of rudder components, and it appears that there might be a relationship between the separations and the appearance of hydraulic fluid.

Further examination of the disbonded area revealed traces of hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic fluid contamination between the honeycomb skin and the fiberglass composite skin can lead to progressive disbonding, which compromises the strength of the rudder. Tests on the damaged rudder also revealed that disbonding damage could spread during flight.

The investigation found that the areas specified in the AOT did not include the areas in which the disbonds were found on the incident rudder. Further, it was determined that tap tests on the external surfaces of the rudder likely would not have disclosed the disbonding of an internal surface.

On March 2, 2006 Airbus issued AOTs notifying operators of applicable A300 series airplanes that large disbonds between the rudder's inner skin and the honeycomb core could go undetected, and providing guidance for inspecting the rudders. The Safety Board is recommending a more stringent compliance time than specified in the AOT and also requesting that FAA make the inspections mandatory.

The NTSB is recommending examinations of the rudders before any further flights of the aircraft and is expected to affect about 400 aircraft.

Flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor, Queens after the rudder apparently failed shortly after takeoff. 265 people were killed, and while Airbus claims that pilot error/training was to blame, many have pointed to rudder problems as the cause of the accident. Here is the NTSB summary of findings from that accident, which occurred shortly after 9/11 and prompted fears that it may have been another terrorist attack.

Other Airbus aircraft have had problems, including several spectacular landings due to failures of landing gear components.

Technorati: JetBlue, Jet Blue, airbus, A300, A310, and A320.