2001 Aviation Law News Article Excerpts

Newsday (New York), "United Finds A Flaw in Tail; Special inspection of 3 Airbus jets"

          An ultrasonic inspection by United Airlines this month on the tail of one of its Airbus planes uncovered a tiny defect in the composite material, prompting the carrier to consider more stringent maintenance requirements.
          The special inspection of three Airbus planes in the United fleet comes after the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Queens last month. More...

USA Today, "Key question remains after crash"

          As federal investigators prepare for what could become a long probe into the crash last month of an Airbus A300 in New York, they are asking one key question here, in aircraft factories in France and Germany and at a NASA materials lab in Virginia.
          American Airlines Flight 587 took off Nov. 12 in calm skies from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. But about a minute after liftoff it wobbled, the 27-foot carbon-fiber fin flew off and the jet spiraled into the ground. More...

Los Angeles Times, "Jet Crash Adds Urgency to Issue of Inspecting Composite Parts"

          Fighter jets built for the Pentagon are routinely inspected with ultrasound to detect hidden flaws that may develop in lightweight composite materials used to make such critical parts as the wings and tail.
          But only visual maintenance inspections were required for the Airbus A300 jetliner that crashed last month in New York after its composite tail fin broke off. More...

The New York Times, "A Workhorse of the Skies, Perhaps with a Deadly Defect"

          One of an unglamorous fleet, the plane that crashed last Monday morning in Queens was an efficient, anonymous workhorse whose marketers nicknamed the model "The Regional Profit Machine." The ill-fated Airbus A300 was wider than many planes, carried lots of people on the short, packed flights from New York to Miami and the Caribbean, and cost less than other planes to operate.
          Over its 13 years, it logged 37,550 flight hours, making it a middle-aged plane, and accumulated a seemingly unremarkable assortment of entries in computer databases detailing its various aches and ills. More...

The Los Angeles Times, "Use of Composite Material for Airplane Parts Scrutinized; FAA orders emergency inspections of Airbus jet parts"

          A modern material that has replaced metal in many aircraft structures has become a central focus of the probe into the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, raising questions about possible problems in hundreds of other jets.
          The material, used in the tail fin that broke away from Flight 587, is a composite made of many layers of carbon fibers embedded in a special resin and molded together under heat and pressure. However, the material can develop internal flaws, causing it to weaken and come apart. More...

Daily News (New York), "Aging 'Scare Bus' Has Good Record, But Feds Eyed Fuel Tank Woes"

          The aging fleet of Airbus A300s has a good safety record, but a growing number of problems have dented the plane's reputation - including a recent federal finding that said an equipment flaw risked explosions in the jetliners' fuel tanks.
          "We call it the scare bus," said a flight attendant who was unwilling to be identified. "There are always maintenance problems on this aircraft. They are getting old. If you ask me, it was just a matter of time." More...

Chicago Tribune, "Jetliner's engines to face scrutiny; Minor problems arose in model's years of service"

          Pilots who had flown the American Airlines jetliner that crashed Monday had reported five incidents of a smoky odor in the cockpit and dozens of other relatively common problems during the jet's 13 years of service, but nothing that would foretell the rare event of an engine disintegrating or separating intact from a wing. More...

Time Magazine, "Just Plane Dangerous? In a rare public fight, an air carrier sues its repair shop, alleging sloppy work. Does the industry have a bigger problem?"

          In his office not far from a runway at London's Heathrow Airport, Philip Bowles grips an official-looking piece of paper. A pilot since he was 18 and now CEO of Airfreight Express (AFX), he is holding a copy of the most important document in aviation safety: a work card. These government-approved forms are used to document repair or maintenance of all aircraft. More...

Pensacola News Journal (Pensacola, FL), "Jury awards $480 million in air crash"

          An Escambia County jury has returned a $480 million verdict against Cessna Aircraft Co., the largest award ever in Northwest Florida and reportedly the largest nationally involving a plane crash.
          Pilot Jim Cassoutt of Robertsdale, Ala., his wife and a second passenger were severely burned and suffered other injuries when the single-engine plane crashed at Coastal Airport off Nine Mile Road in Pensacola on Aug. 14, 1989.
          The five-woman, one-man jury assessed $400 million in punitive damages Thursday after lawyers successfully argued that Cessna, the plane's manufacturer, failed to correct a pilot seat design defect that resulted in more than two dozen deaths and numerous injuries.

The Seattle Times, "Boeing appeals redesign rule"

          Boeing wants to be exempt from a U.S. rule that may require the plane maker to redesign Pratt & Whitney engine-control systems in some 757s because of malfunctions.
          The systems malfunctioned five times in the first 4 million flight hours of 757-200 jets when the engines produced more or less force than pilots sought, Boeing said in a U.S. Department of Transportation filing. Pilots did control the planes and stop the engines in the incidents, which occurred more than six years ago, Boeing said. More...