Fri, Mar 05, 2004
Fingers Pointed In Both Directions
On Thursday, ANN reported that the Allied Pilots Association
published the results of their investigation into the accident
of American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed after departing New
York's John F. Kennedy International airport on Nov. 12, 2001. Now,
the carrier and Airbus are pointing the accusatory finger at
each other.
Each group blamed the other on Wednesday for the second-worst
air disaster in U.S. history - a crash that killed 265 people in
New York. American blamed the A300-600 crash on the plane's flight
control system, while Airbus said the pilot was improperly trained.
Documents submitted by each company to the National Transportation
Safety Board signaled that the government is close to finishing one
of its most complex air crash investigations. It was also the
agency's first probe involving the European-based Airbus. The
submissions also crystallize arguments the companies have been
making piecemeal and in private since the Airbus A300-600 lost its
tail fin over New York and plunged into a residential neighborhood
near John F. Kennedy airport.
All 260 people on the American Airlines flight, bound for the
Dominican Republic, and five on the ground were killed. The crash
shook an already-traumatized New York City just two months after
hijacked airliners slammed into the World Trade Center in the Sept.
11 attacks. The American Airlines crash was the first time anyone
could recall a tail fin and rudder snapping off a commercial plane,
creating a mystery that has tested the most advanced theories on
the effects of turbulence and aerodynamics on aircraft
construction. American said the design of the flight control system
was unique and included an "unexpectedly sensitive" rudder, which
caused co-pilot Sten Molin to lose control of the wide-body
aircraft shortly after take off. "What the pilots of Flight 587 did
not know was that the rudder controls on the A300-600 become
increasingly sensitive as airspeed increases," American said.
Airbus blamed the crash on what it called "aggressive" rudder
training by American, which it said led Molin to inadvertently
mishandle the plane when he encountered turbulence from the wake of
a bigger aircraft flying ahead. "The (co-pilot) did exactly
as he was trained to do with predictable fatal consequences,"
Airbus said. American said it has found no connection between the
airline's training and the crash. Ted Lopatkiewicz, a NTSB
spokesman, said the American and Airbus conclusions on the crash
would be considered by investigators. "But these are opinions, not
factual reports."
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