As reported by Reuters
Wing Piece Falls Off Iberia Boeing 747, Union Says
Tue November 19, 2002 11:41 AM ET
MADRID (Reuters) - A meter and a half section from the wing of a Boeing 747 airplane, owned by Spanish airline Iberia, broke off during a flight to Miami, forcing the captain to turn back, a pilots' union said on Tuesday.
An Iberia spokesman said the 747-200 had a fault and had turned back to Madrid's airport on Monday, where passengers were boarded onto a different plane. He would not specify the fault.
"More than half an hour into the flight the crew felt unusual vibrations...a metal piece with a diameter of more than a meter and a half had fallen off the right wing," the SEPLA union said in a statement, adding that the piece had crashed against the tail.
SEPLA has been at loggerheads with Iberia for months, accusing the airline of neglecting safety in a drive to cut costs.
The airline has strongly denied this on numerous occasions and accuses the union of seeking excuses for conflict.
In early October the union said it had asked Spanish aviation authorities to investigate what it said were recurrent break-downs of Boeing 747 engines operated by Iberia. Also last month, a fighter jet escorted an Iberia 747 back to Madrid's airport after it shredded a tire on takeoff and in August an Iberia 747 made an emergency landing in New York after a fire in one of its engines
Iberia has eight Boeing 747s, including two 747-300s and six 747-200s. The 747s are the oldest planes in the carrier's fleet, and are the only ones to be replaced as part of Iberia's renovation plan, but the company has not fixed a date for their retirement.
Link in Spanish:
http://www.efe.es/negocios/detalleIb...=10&id=4115577