From: Bill Hough -------------------- BA: Rudder Piece Fell Off Concorde -------------------- Plane was approaching JFK Staff Writer December 4, 2002, 8:32 AM EST Part of a rudder on the tail of a British Airways Concorde fell off as the supersonic jet approached New York, the airline said Tuesday, announcing an investigation of the incident. BA said pilots on Flight 001 from London felt a small vibration, which they described as milder than minor turbulence, as they approached John F. Kennedy International Airport last Wednesday. The landing was smooth, but once the plane was on the ground workers discovered part of the lowest of four rudders on the tail fin was missing, said the airline. Safety aboard the supersonic jet has been in the spotlight since the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde after takeoff from Paris killed 113 people and grounded the planes for more than a year. BA and Air France are the only airlines to fly the Concorde. BA spokeswoman Jo Devereux said the rudder problem did not affect the pilots' ability to control the plane and claimed that the flight was never in any danger. "Concorde's a very sophisticated aircraft," she said, adding that the plane had many backup systems and that the damaged rudder was one of four. Ninety-six passengers and nine crew members were aboard, she said. Devereux said BA had informed all appropriate regulators of the problem and that the airline and Britain's air accident investigations bureau were both investigating. BA was conducting extra checks on its other Concordes' rudders, she added. The damaged rudder has been replaced and the jet returned to London, she added. Last month an Air France Concorde flying from New York to Paris frightened passengers with a steep descent after an engine malfunction. In July, a BA Concorde en route to New York turned back to London after an engine problem made it hard for the plane to fly straight. Copyright (c) 2002, Newsday, Inc. -------------------- This article originally appeared at: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-rudder1204,0,3617194.story Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com