It is not a regulator and cannot make recommendations unless invited to do so
The BEA have not to be invited to do investigation on reports of incidents or accidents he know(if those are mandatory for flight safety) and he can made any recommendations he want
Remind your mantra ... the BEA is independent
The regulators are not mandatory to follow those recommendations ... but usually they follow them
none of the investigation bureaus of those countries saw fit to make recommendations either
Pitot icing problems were identified by the BFU (German BEA) since 1999.
Besides Airbus was so aware that it caters to the U.S. FAA
September 2009 in an attempt to make him change the negative formulation for
manufacturer of the AD (see ABI letter to the FAA below):
To:
U.S. Department of Transportation
Docket Operations, M–30
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.
West Building Ground Floor
Room W12-140
WASHINGTON, DC 20590, USA
FROM
Marc LE-LOUER
DATE
04 September 2009
PHONE
+33 (0)5 61 93 24 57
FAX
+33 (0)5 61 93 45 80
E-MAIL
OUR REFERENCE
EALA_LR03D09021899
YOUR REFERENCE
Docket Number FAA–2009–0781; Directorate
Identifier 2009–NM–111–AD; Amendment 39–
16004
Copy:
FAA – Vladimir Ulyanov
EASA – L. Gruz
Airbus EA – Y. Régis
Airbus EAL – F. Duclos
Airbus GSE - F. Combes
Subject: Airbus comments on Docket Number FAA–2009–0781; Directorate Identifier
2009–NM–111–AD; Amendment 39–16004; AD 2009–18–08 : Final rule; request for
comments.
Dear Sir,
Airbus is pleased to provide comments on the FAA’s Final rule Docket Number FAA–2009–
0781;
Directorate Identifier 2009–NM–111–AD; Amendment 39–16004; AD 2009–18–08.
In order to be consistent with the EASA text in the AD 2009-0195, we ask you to replace the
sentence " airspeed discrepancies, which could lead to disconnection of the autopilot and/or
autothrust functions, and reversion to flight control alternate law and consequent increased
pilot workload. Depending on the prevailing airplane altitude and weather, this condition, if
not corrected, could result in reduced control of the airplane" in the "Unsafe Condition"
paragraph with the following sentence :
"Airspeed discrepancies may lead in particular to disconnection of the autopilot and/or auto-
thrust functions, and reversion to Flight Control Alternate law. Depending on the prevailing
aéroplane altitude and weather environment, this condition could result in increased difficulty
for the crew to control the aeroplane.
Indeed, from the Handling Quality perspective the unreliable air speed event and the as per
design consequences don't change the a/c contrability. It only increases the pilot workload to
control the a/c.
Secondly could you add the following sentence, which has been inserted in the EASA AD
2009-
0195 (sentence not included initially in the PAD 09-099). It presents the results of additional
Pitot probe tests :
"Preliminary results of additional wind tunnel testing conducted with the C16195BA probe
during
August 2009 are consistent with the qualification data of the probe and have not identified
any safety issue regarding the probe behaviour within the icing envelope as defined in the
appendix