Seems some people are coming around to my theory.
Unless they have been reading this site.
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The Airbus rudder: Compromised composites?
Pittsbburg Tribune-Review
Friday, March 18, 2005
The rudder of an Airbus A310 fell off at 35,000 feet on a March 6 flight from Cuba to Quebec. The crew maintained control and returned to the island.
A former Airbus pilot, who now flies Boeings, told The Observer of Britain that rudders just didn't fall apart like that -- until now.
The fates were kinder to the 270 people on board this month's flight than the 265 who died in November 2001 when a nearly identical Airbus A300 crashed after takeoff in New York.
Pilot error was blamed for the loss of the rudder and tail fin. It is disputed whether pilot "overcorrections" occurred before or after the plane started falling apart.
European manufacturer Airbus has overtaken Boeing as the top jetliner-maker. Its A380 superjumbo will be carrying passengers next year.
A key to the Airbus success has been use of carbon composite materials -- used on the A300, A310 and A380 -- valued for their lightness and strength.
Fins, flaps and rudders on some A300s and all A310s are made of these composites. Some say only ultrasound instead of the typical visual inspections can detect possible structural failures because of water condensation between layers.
Airbus says it will ask for (ask for?) airline inspections (of what kind we don't know) in light of the March 6 debacle, but it stands behind the crafts' safety.
One hopes no more planes drop parts before Airbus starts acting more responsibly.
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