Emergency checks ordered on 368 commuter planes By Alan Levin, USA TODAY WASHINGTON =97 The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday ordered=20 emergency inspections of flight controls on 368 commuter planes like one=20 that crashed earlier this month in Charlotte. In its first major action=20 since the Jan. 8 crash that killed 21 people, the FAA also ordered airlines= =20 that use small aircraft to weigh some passengers and their baggage.=20 Currently, the FAA allows airlines to estimate the weight of people and=20 their bags. The agency wants to be certain those estimates are accurate.=20 The crash investigation is focused on flight control panels known as=20 elevators, which raise and lower the nose, and on the plane's weight and=20 balance. US Airways Express Flight 5481 crashed seconds after taking off=20 from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. Instead of taking off at a=20 gradual incline, the plane's nose shot skyward. The plane lost speed and=20 plunged to the ground. All 19 passengers and both pilots died. Preliminary evidence suggests a repair two days before the accident left=20 the elevators dangerously out of adjustment, sources familiar with the=20 probe say. The plane was almost fully loaded, and the bulk of the weight=20 was located near the tail. Though apparently within legal limits, the=20 combination of high loads and elevator problems may have made the plane=20 unstable. "These aircraft are safe, but we want to make sure we check them," says Ron= =20 Wojnar, the FAA's deputy director of aircraft certification. The problem=20 with the elevators hasn't been found on other planes. Under the FAA action: =B7 The seven airlines operating the Beech 1900, 1900C and 1900D in=20 this country must inspect the elevators by midnight Friday. The FAA also=20 ordered airlines to perform an additional check on the elevators any time=20 mechanics work on them. The order covers 368 aircraft in this country. Similar checks will likely=20 be required for the other 320 Beech 1900 series aircraft in other countries. =B7 The 24 airlines and charter companies flying planes that seat 10= to=20 19 passengers have 30 days to gather data on how much passengers and=20 baggage weigh. The airlines must gather weight information on a=20 representative sample of their flights. Airlines use a weight estimate during winter months of 185 pounds for each= =20 adult passenger and any carry-on bags. The airlines also assume each=20 checked bag weighs 25 pounds on domestic flights. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: www.pichemas.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************