Mon, Aug 29, 2005
28 "Concerns" Identified By Russian Aviation Authority
Called "an overblown reaction" by
some industry officials, Russia's aviation authority has grounded
all Ilyushin 96-300 planes pending investigation into 28 problem
areas with the long range airliner. The authority gave just three
days notice for its decision, causing the sudden cancellation of
international flights to destinations like Hawaii, Korea and
Canada.
As was reported in ANN earlier this week, the Il-96 has come under
scrutiny after a series of incidents this month, including a brief
scare aboard President Vladimir Putin's own plane when it
experienced a brake malfunction. The incident forced Putin to travel in a
backup aircraft.
"Certainly it was kind of a shame that in a western airport the
president couldn't fly on his plane," Aeroflot spokesman Lev
Koshlyakov told Canada's CTV News.
Many of the concerns center around the aircraft's braking
system.
The Il-96-300 has been in service since 1993, with an enviable
safety record of no accidents or fatalities reported in that time.
The grounding of the aircraft comes at the height of the summer
travel season for Aeroflot, which operates six of the aircraft. It
is also seen as a blow to the reputation of Ilyushin, one of
Russia's largest airplane manufacturers.
"There's no need to ground all aircraft," Vyacheslav Salikov,
general director of an Ilyushin production plant in Voronezh, was
quoted as saying by Russian news sources.
The decision comes after one aviation's worst months that has seen
five major airline crashes.
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