=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2006/03/24/national/w= 151322S10.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, March 24, 2006 (AP) New Inspections of Airbus Rudders Urged By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer (03-24) 15:13 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Government safety investigators on Friday urged regulators to order new rudder inspections for some Airbus jetliners, and the Federal Aviation Administration said it would follow that recommendation. The FAA last year ordered inspections of certain Airbus rudders after one fell off a Canadian-based Air Transat airplane soon after leaving Cuba for Quebec on March 6. The airplane returned to Cuba safely. The National Transportation Safety Board said that a subsequent, more thorough inspection of an Airbus operated by FedEx revealed further problems with the rudder that weren't discovered during the FAA-ordered inspection. The FedEx airplane's rudder had been damaged during routine maintenance, and inspections showed the inner skin had separated from the core. The rudder is made of a composite material. "This urgent recommendation, if acted upon quickly, will go a long way to prevent a catastrophic failure of the rudder," said NTSB's acting chairman, Mark Rosenker. FAA spokesman Greg Martin said the agency is in the process of doing what the NTSB wants. "Our directive will match the NTSB recommendation," Martin said. Airbus issued a statement saying the recommendation echoes the company's guidelines for inspections. "While the NTSB is recommending an expedited inspection of the relevant rudders, Airbus remains confident in the operating safety of these aircraft and our original recommendations for inspection," the statement said. An Airbus with the same rudder that investigators are concerned about crashed in New York in November 2001 after its tail fell off and killed 265 people. The NTSB blamed pilot error, inadequate pilot training and overly sensitive rudder controls. Investigators conducted extensive tests on the tail and found no evidence of fatigue, which occurs in aging components and can cause cracking. Only FedEx and American Airlines operate Airbus A300 in the United State= s. The rudder is the vertical moving part at the back of an airplane's tail fin. ___ On the Net: Transportation Security Administration: National Transportation Safety Board: www.tsa.gov www.ntsb.gov -----------------------------------------------------------= ----------- Copyright 2006 AP