Discordant Findings Lead To Blame Game

Congressman Anthony Weiner this week condemned the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for not holding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responsible for the 2001 crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Belle Harbor that killed all 260 people on board and five residents on the ground.
"The first thing the NTSB should do is call out their colleagues at the FAA, [who] failed their oversight responsibilities miserably, with tragic results," Weiner said.
The NTSB issued their long-awaited crash findings on October 26, which claimed that the co-pilot "inappropriately manipulated the rudder back and forth several times," according to their official statement. The Board also faulted the rudder system design and parts of the American Airlines’ pilot training program.
The Airbus A300-600 bound for the Dominican Republic encountered turbulence right after takeoff from Kennedy Airport on November 12, 2001. The pilot then moved the rudder back and forth in an "unnecessary and aggressive" manner, according to the NTSB. This caused the tail to break off and the plane to crash.
The Board also found that the airline’s "Advanced Aircraft Maneuvering Program" gave pilots "an unrealistic and exaggerated view of the effects of wake turbulence on heavy transport-category aircraft." The Board concluded that "pilots were not being adequately trained on what effect rudder pedal inputs have on the A300-600 at high speeds."
The NTSB also concluded that the rudder system was "susceptible to potentially hazardous rudder pedal inputs at higher speeds."
But according to Weiner, the FAA was warned of these problems in 1997 when a pilot on another American Airlines flight aggressively moved the rudder, almost breaking off the tail fin.
"It is mind-boggling that the FAA attended a meeting in 1997 with American Airlines and Airbus, most of which foreshadowed what we are hearing today, and yet the FAA stood by and did nothing."
FAA spokesperson Les Dorr said that the NTSB was adamant that the two situations are "entirely different." Dorr added that the FAA has implemented several safety changes since the crash of Flight 587, the second deadliest in American aviation history. When asked if any of these changes could have prevented that tragedy, Dorr said he would not "speculate on a hypothetical."
But Weiner disagreed, telling The Queens Courier, "I believe the NTSB is incorrect to leave an important chapter out."
Weiner said that it was necessary for the FAA to step in when Airbus sent American Airlines a memo in August 1998 saying that there may be problems with the use of the rudder.
Weiner said he is considering introducing legislation that would require the FAA to receive copies of correspondence between airlines and manufacturers. Under his legislation, the FAA would be obligated to acknowledge and act on any such communiqu.
Weiner said his legislation would address the problem of having airlines and manufacturers resolve disputes between themselves.
Lending credence to Weiner’s assertion is the fact that since the NTSB released their findings, both Airbus and American Airlines sent out stern statements placing the majority of the blame on the other.
E-mail this reporter at elizabeth@queenscourier.com .