US safety investigators issued an urgent recommendation on Friday for new rudder inspections on certain Airbus jetliners. The recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration covers A300-600 aircraft, a wide body jet used in passenger and cargo service.
The National Transportation Safety Board estimates 400 A300-600 models are in service world-wide. The recommendation for checks of the rudder's composite skin stemmed from an inspection of a FedEx Corp A300-600 rudder after it was damaged during maintenance last November.
"The board noted that this incident might have applicability to a more serious rudder separation that occurred last year," investigators said. "The board believes that this urgent recommendation, if acted upon quickly, will go a long way to prevent a catastrophic failure of the rudder," said Mark Rosenker, the acting safety board chairman.
The FAA said it was preparing a directive to be issued soon that was expected to mirror the NTSB recommendation.
Europe's Airbus notified airlines three weeks ago of potential problems with the rudder's inner skin and urged inspections within six months or 500 flights. But the safety board wants the checks immediately and wants the FAA to make them mandatory.
The Airbus notification occurred after it noted that flaws in the rudder's inner skin and its core material could go undetected. The safety board said more recent examinations have shown that hydraulic fluid can collect along the edges of the rudder's inner surface. Airbus said it was confident of its inspection schedule but would continue to work with the FAA. Airbus said it was confident about the safety of the A300 family.
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