A24 TheSalt Lake Tribune NATION Friday, Nov ember 23, 2001 Probe of Flight 587 Crash Is Focusing on Tail Materials Airbussees no reason to suspect composites maypose a problem BYJIM MORRIS THEDALL $ MORN! WASHINGTON NEWS Theinvestiga tion into the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 has taken several turns since the Airbus A300 broke apart over Queens, this month. Sabotage, a bird strike and catastrophic engine failure were considered andall but dismissedas causes or contributing factors in a puzzling ac- cidentthat claimed 265lives. More thana weekinto theinvestigation of the Nov. 12 crash, investiga: tors caution that a conclusion might be months away. They are, however, pursuing two major lines ofinquiry turbulenct kicked up by another plane as well as the materials used in the productionof the tail, which sheared offin-flight a rare phenomenon Although investigators are ponder. ing the possibleeffects of turbulence generated bya Japan AirLines Boeing 747 that took off just ahead ofFlight 587, they seem mostintriguedbyAiruse of composite materials in the tails of its planes. Airbus says the fiber-reinforced it uses in verplas ics, or composites, al stabilizers and other parts of the are exceptionally durable. The einen manufacturer, which has beena pioneer in the use of composites, says the materials save weight, and. therefore fuel, compared with metal components. The Federal Aviation Administration, however, has questioned the durabilityof composites. In directives in June2000 andfour daysafter Flight missionis to try to determine whythe tail of Flight 587 disintegrated little more than a minute after the plane took off from John F. KennedyInternational Airport. handle on thestate of these structures out there in the U.S.civil fleet.” Hurst said engineers have begun to ask whether“weshould re-examine the technology, reexamine exactly how they're laying up these composites and how they’re faring overtime.” cracks, andotherflawsin thetail Thedirectives applied to planes op- throughoutthe UnitedStates have be- erated by AmericanAirlines, US Air- gun to weigh in on Flight 587. Among It seems unlikely that wake turbu- jorthwestAir- other things, they question the value according to of the post-crash, visual inspections of lencealone caused thetail to tear away from the fuselage, he said. “One con- and UPS, an Clay McConnell. “We're not aware ofany significant findings by any of the carriers” that would raise questions about thesafety of composites, McConnell said. American visually inspected all 34 Already, structural engineers the A300, said Ed Hurst, vice president of Aviation DataSource Inc., a maintenance consulting company in Denver. the inner layers of these composites al inspections will only dis- ofits A300s after the New York crash cover the obvious problems,” Hurst said. “They won't discover the inter- and foundnothing of concern, spokes- nal separations that are not obviousto manDale Morrissaid. Still, the National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched John O'Callahan, chairmanof its Aircraft Performance Group, to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France. His cern is whether there's sufficient drainage and ventilation to prevent ordinary moisture from getting into the eye. FAAspokesman LesDorr said: “By ordering visual inspections, we are not ruling out any additional types of inspections down the line. What we wantedto do was get relatively quick * All clubs are oversize with perimeter weighted design Orig. 529.99 and deteriorating them structurally,” Hurstsaid. An increasingly popular theoryis that Flight 587’s weakened tail began to flutter so violently that its two engines were literally shaken off. “Now that we're thinking down this track, everything is starting to make sense,” Hurstsaid. “Whenwestarted, nothing madesense.” Torrie Top Flite XL Titanium 2 Pack Select stores Lowest Marked Price STICKS IN STOCK! Limited to stock on hand !* Compact table top portable gril '* 187 sq.inch cooking surface Steel body with enamel coating Orig 39.99 ale ends Friday, Nov. 23rd. Some quantities limited. Ad#010212 After Thanksgiving 11/23/01. Exp. 11/23/01. SPORTSCASTLE 5550 South 900 East 801-263-3633 SOUTHTOWNE 10200 S. State St. (East of I-15) 801-566-7404 5786 S. Redwood Rd. (East of |-215) 801-963-0984 AaaNeareeee Selection Stores: 7° 4 Hills Mall Sorete2e48Lp © Logan 435-752-4287 ik shea Posedtome Cae to‘359-4540 © Provo/Orem 801-224-9115 Give Our Gift Card! ictal flee) el ONO ye) iceaY iy 350 www.gartsports.com CY sttourwebbyatlocation