Russia Susoends B737 family Airworthines certification
 

Citing concerns over the elevator system....................

Is this linked to the crash a few years ago that looked like an OCF near the ground?

Tartarstan Airlines Flight 363.

PPRuNe thread.

Dunno Loneworlf as I don't read Russian! You can see the Russian text on AV H+r+ld but I expect in the present "circumstances" that it's more to do with matters over Sinai..........

OK, I'll give this a few days. Hopefully some of our Russian PPRuNe friends can shed some light.

No comments except WTF yet :ugh:

My thoughts exactly.

Quite a step to take, will hurt their own industry quite a bit I reckon.

Don't really see why it should happen now, as the Metro a/c was an Airbus but, surely a coincidence, or more...........

Just a bit of Conspiracy theory


1) Head of MAK is mother of Transaero owner
2) She also rumored as recently ceased ex-prime minister common law wife

PS: Letter to FAA from MAK cites Kazan crash

you got a copy of the contents?

Head of MAK is Tatiana Anodina, mother of Transaero founder, Alexander Pleshakov. Speculation about this obvious conflict of interest has been going on for years, also given that Anodina held shares at Transaero (by the way, she conveniently sold them in August, just before imminent bankruptcy news broke out publicly on 01/09) and was a member of the board of directors. Transaero seemed to enjoy priority treatment back in the days when Evgeny Primakov (career politician, held prime minister seat in 90's) was around (exemption on VAT for importing foreign aircrafts for example) as many speculated about love affair between him and Anodina. MAK was founded in early 90's by Anodina (i.e. private person) and it is a highly controversial story as it enjoys powers of the sole air accidents investigation body and aircraft type certifications in CIS countries, by law no other body can question MAK's investigation conclusions.

Anyway, this latest development over B737 certificate suspension by MAK clearly something that would be unheard of when Transaero was still operating (all aircrafts grounded on the 26'th of October after Russian CAA annulled Transaero AOC) as it was the biggest operator of B737 in Russia and MAK's decisions never adversely affected Transaero commercially unlike it's competitors (one of the examples being when a few years ago MAK refused to issue certificate for Aeroflot's B777 while it was never a problem for Transaero).

The general feeling in Russian aviation community is that this is joke and 'revenge' for Transaero's grounding by CAA more than anything else (other major operators of B737 in Russia is S7 airlines (they refused to bail out Transaero even though they had a last minute formal agreement) and Aeroflot group with subsidiaries (Transaero blaims Aeroflot for controlled bankruptcy after government by force instated Aeroflot's man as new CEO in September, which eventually led to sales termination and AOC being annulled).

More news to follow on Friday after CAA briefing.

It's in Russian

No problem

Yes, that letter I've read. Can't seem to find a direct reference to the Kazan Crash however?

Sorry if I mislead you by "direct". but in first paragraph there is mentioned letter which was sent by MAK after Kazan crash.

http://mak.ru/russian/investigations...00_vq-bbn.html

He he
 

MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) cannot stop Boeing-737 aircraft operation by Russian air carriers, press service of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said on Thursday.

"IAC cannot stop operation of this aircraft in Russia airlines by its decision to revoke the certificate for Boeing-737. Only a specifically empowered federal executive authority can introduce the prohibition on flights of a certain aircraft type. It has not made such a decision," the press service said.

President of the Russian Association of Air Transport Operators Vladimir Tasun told TASS the decision to suspend Boeing-737 flights can be taken by aviation authorities and not by the Interstate Aviation Committee but this will hardly take place.

"Airlines will be bound to stop flights of Boeing-737 only after receiving the official letter from Russia aviation authorities. IAC, though it suspended the certificate, is not formally related to them. Boeing-737 aircraft are in the Irish and the Bermudian registers; the Russian state is not responsible for them from the standpoint of maintaining airworthiness. It is not a simple matter to stop over 200 aircraft," Tasun said.

Boeing-737 aircraft are not in the Russian register and the suspension of IAC certificate will not affect further operations of aircraft by Russian aircraft, he added.

Here we go, battle has begun. This is the evidence it is NOT related to flight safety concerns by MAK (IAC -- eng abbreviation) and is not a joint decision with CAA.

I bet MAK's foundations are becoming shaky with possible removal of Anodina soon or even liquidation of MAK.

You mean REALY related, do you? ;)

Kulverstukas,

Nope, not related to flight safety of B737. My understanding this is pure revenge (I know it sounds bizzare) for grounding Transaero by Aeroflot (& S7 dishonouring of last minute deal). Otherwise CAA would have backed MAK's decision.

I get it, I just can't found [SARCASM][/SARCASM] tag ;)

This is the same MAK/IAC that is currently investigating the A321 crash in the Sinai? The one whose chief investigator wasn't allowed to visit the crash site and returned to Russia? Not a confidence builder in my book when playing politics gets this crazy.

No, it was head of some kind of Russian FBR

The official who had difficulties getting to Egypt is Alexander Bastrykin, chief state prosecutor, not related to MAK/IAC.

Yes, the same body. MAK investigates all civil aviation accidents in Russia.

What type of actions do you expect from companies like aeroflot of S7 ?

What about the rumour that all foreign registered aircrafts should be reregistered in Russia?

Read post #16

PS Kommersant wrote that Anodina and Pleshakov family left Russia for France. :rolleyes:

What a bunch of Sovietesque jokers still govern/interfere in Mother Russia :ugh:

There will be again tons of happy spotters heading towards Antalya to catch some old russian flyn'heavy metal \\m//:ok:

Isn't it standard procedure, in the event an actual design flaw is discovered, simply to issue an airworthiness directive? I did a bit of googling and it seems that revoking a type certificate for an aircraft that is still being supported by its manufacturer is an unprecedented move.

Not apples for apples... but
 

If you want to sell SJ100's ..................

I guess Boeing will be closing their 737NG training facility before it's even finished. The stupidity that exists in this country is even grater than the US...if that's possible!

MAK's suspension of the 737 was reported, without comment, on NHK's English broadcast this evening. I wonder if Boeing will even bother to try to explain this to the US public or just assume it will get lost between "Dancing with Stars" and "The Voice".

repost from russian aviation forum, supposedly it's a summary of MAK's concern:

"There are cutout switches available on the pedestal to stop a stabilizer trim runaway. It's really important that the autopilot self test is carried out regularly on the ground by maintenance. However, you can get a stabilizer trim runaway when an autopilot is engaged if maintenance has installed the elevator position feedback link in the wrong way around. This manifests itself as a nose down uncontrollable trim which, when the autopilot is disconnected again, needs to be manually trimmed out or the elevators will not be faired with the stabilizer. Remember there are stab trim lights on the instrument panel that need to be taken seriously."

So you remove certification if there is a possibility of a maintenance fault that can cause a crash? That reasoning should ground all aircraft.

Boeing rep in RF said that he will "take in account MAK worries with great attention" which means that they just want them to f***k off before ;)

Forgive my ignorance, but is the 737 elevator system sufficiently different to other Boeing aircraft?

According to this report Russian airlines are carrying on operating their 737s regardless.

The article goes on to say:
"Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has refused to budge, saying it alone is empowered to halt foreign aircraft operations in the country and the committee, known locally as MAK, lacks the authority to issue such a ban. The agency’s chief, Alexander Neradko, said MAK revised its earlier statement on the Boeing 737, and Russian authorities see no reason to call for parking the single-aisle planes."

It all seems like internal politics and nothing particularly to do with the 737.

According to newspaper:

There were several disaster of 737 in the US that had unknown cause in nineties. Finally low temperature problem with hydraulic servosystem of elevator was found.
In time of investigation of Kazan disaster, MAK sent a question to FAA/Boeing if related hydraulic part of involved aircraft was replaced or not. Till now they have got no concrete answer, so they can not say, what 737 are safe and what not. Maybe they try to force Boeing to answer.


This episode is little confusing but by my opinion, investigators of MAK are very competent

Transaeros revenge failed ;)

TASS: Business & Economy - Boeing 737 to continue operating in Russia ? air transport agency
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/mobile...rs/543553.html

The suspension, such that it was, appears to be over.

From FlightGlobal

"Rosaviatsia says the meeting was “unanimous” in determining that there were no grounds, at present, for halting the operation of 737s registered in Russia and other states.

“Operation of the Boeing 737 in Russia will continue, on the same basis as before,” it adds."

I hope that this means that the report into the Tatarstan 737-500, VQ-BBN, can now be released.

Such political posturing does nobody any favours, especially not the families of the victims and those wishing to learn from the final report.

Not that I'm particularly looking for airplane registrations/tailnumbers, but the Gazpromavia 737s seem to be the only RA-registered 737 in Russia that I've spotted, all others aww VP, EI...