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Safety board says pilots can cause tail fin to break off

Marion Blakey, NTSB
NTSB Chairwoman Marion Blakey  


From Mike Ahlers
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Many airline pilots are unaware that their maneuvering can cause part of an airplane's tail fin to break off, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Friday during a progress report on the crash of American Airlines Flight 587.

"We've calculated that certain rudder inputs by pilots made during certain stages of a flight can cause catastrophic failure of an airline's vertical stabilizer," said NTSB chairwoman Marion Blakey.

Flight 587, an Airbus A-300, crashed on November 12, soon after it left New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The NTSB is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to require pilot training on handling the vertical stabilizer, which is thought to be involved in the Flight 587 crash.

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"What we're talking about here is something that's a concern industrywide," Blakey said. "Many pilots have not been made aware that full rudder inputs, under certain conditions, can jeopardize the integrity of the vertical tail fin and that in some airline modes, rudder deflections can be achieved with relatively small pedal movements."

The NTSB said it is far from determining the cause of the crash, but it decided to recommend special training after interviewing pilots of the Airbus A-300, who were unaware it was possible to make rudder movements that can cause catastrophic stress on the vertical stabilizer. Blakey said the concern was not limited to Airbuses.

The FAA will consider the recommendation.

All 260 people on Flight 587 were killed when it slammed into a neighborhood in Queens. Five people on the ground also were killed.



 
 
 
 





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