This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@juno.com. /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ Presenting the reloadable Starbucks Card. The Starbucks Card is reloadable from $5 - $500. Fill it up. Use it. Use it. Then, fill it up again. https://www.starbucks.com/shop/reload.asp?ci=672 \----------------------------------------------------------/ Jet Like One in Queens Crash Shows Sign of Damage to Tail March 12, 2002 By MATTHEW L. WALD WASHINGTON, March 11 - Investigators looking into the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Queens last Nov. 12 said today that they had discovered "indications of damage" in the tail of another plane of the same model - an Airbus A300 - that was involved in an in-flight accident near West Palm Beach, Fla., five years ago. The tail is of special interest because in the Queens crash, the plane swiveled radically from side to side and the vertical portion of the tail fell off shortly after takeoff from Kennedy International Airport. The West Palm Beach incident occurred on May 12, 1997, and the safety board blamed it on the crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed. That Airbus A300 went into a severe bank, and then a series of oscillations for about 34 seconds, according to the board, dropping to 13,000 feet from 16,000 feet. A passenger was seriously injured and a flight attendant was slightly injured, according to a board report. A visual inspection of the plane after the incident found no damage, and it has been in regular service ever since. Airbus A300's have tails made of composite materials, which has raised the suspicions of investigators, although so far they have not determined whether the materials played any role in the incidents. Composite parts must meet the same strength specifications as aluminum ones. The Federal Aviation Administration said that it would probably order the tails taken off some other Airbus A300's for inspections. The agency order will cover other A300's that have faced unusual stresses, said Alison Duquette, a spokeswoman. The agency could not say this afternoon how many that would be; industry experts speculated that it would be a small number. American, which has 34 of the aircraft, said it would comply. An ultrasonic inspection of the plane in the Florida accident, which was carried out after the Queens crash, found "an indication of damage (possible delamination)," according to the board. Delamination is when the layers of the composite separate. The damage was in the area where the vertical fin connects to the fuselage, which is the place where the tail of American 587 tore off the plane before the Queens crash, which killed all 260 people on board and five more on the ground. Airbus said in a statement said the plane in the Florida accident showed damage to one of the six attachment points, but noted that the airplane was certified as safe to fly even with one attachment point completely disconnected. The Safety Board did not characterize the significance of the discovery. Airbus, the manufacturer, said it was good news, because the damage was small even though the plane had sustained greater lateral forces than it was designed for. The tail could have safely continued in service indefinitely, the manufacturer said, but it will now be replaced. David Venz, a spokesman for Airbus, said that the small amount of damage found was "a testimony to the strength that's built into the design, to carry the loads exerted on that airplane." After the Queens crash, the F.A.A. ordered a visual inspection of Airbus A300's. Advocates of composites say that any internal damage severe enough to cause a problem would be visible from the outside. Ultrasonic inspection is not generally performed on aircraft in service. Of United States carriers, only American uses the A300 in passenger service. Federal Express and United Parcel Service also fly the plane. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/12/nyregion/12PLAN.html?ex=1016968353&ei=1&en=e1b392f6766f7b66 HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@nytimes.com or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@nytimes.com. Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company