PIB:
The 737-200's were not grounded even after THREE hardover rudder crashes
Firstly, I believe it was two crashes and a recovery.
Secondly, any research into the investigation of those incidents will reveal that the NTSB covered every conceivable angle, but until they hit on the perfect storm that was a worn PCU valve plus thermal shock they could not replicate the hardover and reversal in the lab. It's true that Boeing did themselves no favours by trying to prove the crashes were caused by pilot error, but unfortunately until the technical design flaw was proven it was a legitimate line of enquiry.
Thirdly, Concorde was brought down by a perfect storm of its own. The tyre burst and even the fuel leak were not dangerous on their own, but the severing of electrical connections in the wheel well in the path of the leaking fuel provided the fatal blow by igniting the leaking fuel.
Predicting this kind of systems failure was in its infancy when the first 737 and the first Concorde flew, so to call either of them unsafe does both aircraft a disservice. They were safe by the standards of their time and that's all there is to it.
Glad everyone got down safely, this one looks interesting and I'll be paying attention.
