a330pilotcanada
24th Oct 2010, 11:28
Landing gear inspection ordered for Bombardier jets
By Jessica Murphy, QMI Agency
Last Updated: October 23, 2010 10:51pm
MONTREAL - Transport Canada is concerned about a problem with the landing gear on a popular Bombardier regional jet series and is demanding an immediate inspection of all the aircrafts.
In an emergency airworthiness directive published this week, the federal agency asked all the owners of CRJ-700, CRJ-705, and CRJ-900 to check the landing gear mechanics.
A preliminary investigation indicated a problem between the landing-gear door and fairing might stop one of the gears from opening properly before the plane touched down, causing a dangerous and asymmetrical landing.
"Failure to address this situation may result in unsafe conditions," a ministry spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
The agency didn't specify what had spurred this directive but noted urgent measures such as this one are sent when flight operators are forced to take action before they can fly the aircraft.
Air Canada Jazz is the only airline in the country to use jets of these models, but Transport Canada said almost 500 planes are affected worldwide by the directive.
This comes on the heels of a U.S. investigation into landing-gear failure involving a CRJ jet made by the Montreal-based aerospace company - the fifth such case in the past two years.
It was that incident that forced the company to take action.
"What spurred Bombardier to alert its operators?" said Bombardier spokesman John Arnone on Friday. "It was a landing incident at JFK Airport."
In September, a CRJ-900 had a rough emergency landing in the New York airport. The right landing gear failed to deploy and the wing touched the runway, causing a flurry of sparks as the jet slid along the runway.
No one was injured, but the National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the accident to see whether it is linked to four other similar problems with the popular passenger jet.
"Aircrafts from time to time require additional maintenance," Arnone said, adding these types of alerts were common in the aviation industry.
But Arnone couldn't pin down how often the aerospace giant sent out similar alerts.
"It would impossible to nail down that specific number," he said, adding safety and quality were top priorities for Bombardier.
By Jessica Murphy, QMI Agency
Last Updated: October 23, 2010 10:51pm
MONTREAL - Transport Canada is concerned about a problem with the landing gear on a popular Bombardier regional jet series and is demanding an immediate inspection of all the aircrafts.
In an emergency airworthiness directive published this week, the federal agency asked all the owners of CRJ-700, CRJ-705, and CRJ-900 to check the landing gear mechanics.
A preliminary investigation indicated a problem between the landing-gear door and fairing might stop one of the gears from opening properly before the plane touched down, causing a dangerous and asymmetrical landing.
"Failure to address this situation may result in unsafe conditions," a ministry spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
The agency didn't specify what had spurred this directive but noted urgent measures such as this one are sent when flight operators are forced to take action before they can fly the aircraft.
Air Canada Jazz is the only airline in the country to use jets of these models, but Transport Canada said almost 500 planes are affected worldwide by the directive.
This comes on the heels of a U.S. investigation into landing-gear failure involving a CRJ jet made by the Montreal-based aerospace company - the fifth such case in the past two years.
It was that incident that forced the company to take action.
"What spurred Bombardier to alert its operators?" said Bombardier spokesman John Arnone on Friday. "It was a landing incident at JFK Airport."
In September, a CRJ-900 had a rough emergency landing in the New York airport. The right landing gear failed to deploy and the wing touched the runway, causing a flurry of sparks as the jet slid along the runway.
No one was injured, but the National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the accident to see whether it is linked to four other similar problems with the popular passenger jet.
"Aircrafts from time to time require additional maintenance," Arnone said, adding these types of alerts were common in the aviation industry.
But Arnone couldn't pin down how often the aerospace giant sent out similar alerts.
"It would impossible to nail down that specific number," he said, adding safety and quality were top priorities for Bombardier.