US investigators determined that a series of full opposite-rudder inputs on an American Airlines A300-600 - intended to counter a wake-induced roll disturbance - overstressed the vertical fin, which broke off.
The jet, climbing out of New York in November 2001, crashed with the loss of all on board. Under a European Aviation Safety Agency directive, effective from 9 July, operators will have four years to install the warning system. The Airbus design change monitors rudder inputs and, upon detecting a dangerous rudder doublet, activates visual and aural alerts.
FedEx Express A300F4-605R (c/n 876) on short final to Rwy 19R at John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA/KSNA) on March 25, 2009.
(Photo by Michael Carter)
FedEx, a major operator of the A300 and A310, strongly objected to the modification order, citing its own crew-training regime which, it claims, has "ensured elimination" of excessive rudder pedal inputs.
"Although the proposed [warning] system would generally reinforce aforementioned pilot training with regard to rudder pedal input, FedEx does not believe that such a system would add any significant additional level of safety over our current flightcrew training programme," it says.
FedEx also says a new system and the need to modify simulators would cause "major timing and crew scheduling problems" in its training cycle. It sought a six-year compliance interval, but EASA insists its four-year requirement is "achievable".
While EASA says it "appreciates" FedEx's pilot-training efforts, it says its internal strategy "might not be the case" for other operators. It says a survey of airline pilots conducted by the US FAA and IATA, published in 2010, showed pilots still use the rudder in ways which "contradict" guidance in upset recovery.
(David Kaminski-Morrow - Flight International)
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