posted by Satrun V (pg 1) quoting news source
"The vertical tail section of American Airlines Flight 587 cracked off when its modern reinforced plastic "composite" fittings failed, investigators said today...
"Before the plane was delivered in 1988, the composite material in one of the six fittings holding the tail in place was found to be delaminating, meaning its layers were coming apart. It was fixed by adding layers and inserting rivets, and the manufacturer decided that no extra inspections were required afterward.
posted by widgeon (pg 6)
.... That beeing said the largest variation can be caused by processing , which is why there are stringent in process controls at all stages of lay up and cure ...
Hmm, prior to placement in service the original
assembly was identified as defective at a high stress point - then repaired, not replaced? I am sure the manufacturer avoided a costly replacement with that procedure. Might make sense if reliable inspection procedures existed to identify deterioration as it aged. Hey, it held for 11 years! Too bad that is not the lifetime of the aircraft.