=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2002/03/15/n= ational1634EST0711.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, March 15, 2002 (AP) FAA to order new inspections of some Airbus A300-600 planes JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press Writer (03-15) 13:34 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government said Friday it would order inspections of Airbus A300-600 planes that experience side-to-side movements similar to those of doomed American Airlines Flight 587. The Federal Aviation Administration directive also would affect Airbus A310 planes, which have similar nonmetallic composite tails. In some cases, airplanes would be grounded until the inspections were made. FAA spokesman Les Dorr said the directive won't take effect until early April, but airlines would voluntarily conduct inspections in the interim. The FAA announcement is its second since the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that it found previously undetected damage to the tail of an American Airbus that swayed while trying to land at West Pam Beach Airport in May 1997. Two people were injured. Earlier in the week, the FAA said it would order ultrasound inspections = of tails of Airbus planes that either hit turbulence or had sharp rudder movements. The airlines voluntarily agreed to the inspections, Dorr said. American Airlines said two Airbus A300-600s experienced strong side-to-side movements. An ultrasound check of one plane found no problems, and results on the second are expected next week, the airline said. One FedEx plane and three foreign-owned jets also had similar stresses, Airbus spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn said. She said all the tails are being removed and inspected with ultrasound. "In normal operations, a visual inspection is effective in recognizing internal damage that may affect the airworthiness of the aircraft," Greczyn said. "In unusual operating conditions, a further inspection beyond visual might be called for." The new FAA order requires detailed visual inspections of the tail and other parts of any Airbus A300-600 or A310 experiencing side-to-side movements as strong as the stresses recorded by American Flight 587 before it crashed Nov. 12 shortly after taking off from New York's Kennedy Airport. The accident killed 265 people. If the stresses are strong enough, the airline and Airbus must develop an FAA-approved plan for additional inspections, which could include ultrasound. In some cases, the plane must be grounded until those additional inspections are completed. The French aviation authority is issuing a similar rule, Dorr said. On the Net: Federal Aviation Administration: www.faa.gov Airbus Industries: www.airbus.com American Airlines: www.amrcorp.com =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 AP