WASHINGTON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The American Airlines Airbus A300 that crashed moments after taking off from a New York airport in November had been blown backward onto its tail in 1987 during a violent storm, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The plane, which was parked outdoors awaiting completion at the factory more than a decade ago, was carefully inspected after the storm and no damage was found and there is no indication the incident had anything to do with the crash, the newspaper said, citing unidentified sources close to the investigation. However, investigators looking into the crash that killed 260 on board and five people on the ground said they could not overlook the incident, the Washington Post said. U.S. investigators have not determined the cause of the crash but have focused on the composite makeup of the tail section of the A300-600 series and extreme rudder movements just after the aircraft passed through a relatively common bout of turbulence from a bigger plane flying several miles ahead. Investigators believe the A300's vertical stabilizer, or tail fin, and its rudder fell off before American Airlines flight 587 crashed 103 seconds after taking off from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport bound for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. American Airlines is owned by AMR Corp. (AMR) Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, is owned by European Aeronautic, Defense & Space Co. (EAD)(EAD) and BAE Systems Plc (BA). ©2001 Reuters Limited.