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Pilot faulted in Flight 587 crash
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-uscras1027,0,6828677.story?coll=ny-nation-big-pix
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WASHINGTON -- The pilot flying the Airbus that crashed into a Queens neighborhood three years ago caused the tail of the plane to tear off in mid-flight by his "unnecessary and excessive" use of the plane's rudder, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded Monday in the culmination of an exhaustive accident investigation.
The five-member board was unanimous in its finding, but disagreed on the importance of what it found were two contributing factors in the Nov. 12, 2001 crash -- a training program used by American Airlines that taught pilots to use the rudder when the plane is out of control, and the design of the rudder pedals of the Airbus 300-600 model.
In the end, the presidentially appointed board voted 3-2 to emphasize a problem with the sensitivity of the Airbus rudder pedals over American's pilot training program.
The Airbus 300-600 crashed into Belle Harbor shortly after taking off from Kennedy Airport on a flight to the Dominican Republic. The fiery crash, which killed 265 people, occurred just two months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and initially raised fears of terrorism.
But it quickly became obvious to investigators that the issue involved the actions of the pilot as he moved the rudder back and forth in response to wake turbulence from a nearby Boeing 747.
The rudder, a large movable flap on the tail, is used to keep the plane flying straight if one engine has failed or if the pilot has to land in a crosswind. "The rest of the time, your feet should be on the floor," said Capt. David Ivey, an NTSB investigator.