I now fly the A320 and that is also perfect........
Don't forget that the Direction Generale de l'Aviation Civile can sue you for libel if you suggest otherwise. And win.
Back to the 737. From the first AP article:
"After the plane touched down, the pilots said the rudder swung left and then fully to the right, causing a loud bang
Boeing spokeswoman Liz Verdier said a number of factors could have been responsible, including ... the weather."
Say what you want about Boeing but don't say that its spokeswoman is humourless.
According to a Reuters report of this incident,
"Boeing spokeswoman Liz Verdier said the company has designed a new rudder system to comply with the [FAA] directive and is ready to retrofit all of the nearly 2,000 Boeing 737s in the American fleet."
According to AP,
"Boeing announced in September that it would ... begin installing new rudder systems on 737s in 2003."
The second statement casts doubt on the readiness expressed in the first: if Boeing is "ready" for the retrofit, then why wait until 2003? I seem to recall reading that the new design has not been tested for unanticipated adverse consequences. Anyone know the status?
A detailed preliminary incident report of UAL 578 can be found here:
<a href="http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20011219X02423&key=1" target="_blank">http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20011219X02423&key=1</a>