Posted on 09/23/2005 1:46:47 AM PDT by konaice
The problems with JetBlue Flight 292 marked at least the seventh time that the front landing gear of an Airbus jet has locked at a 90-degree angle, forcing pilots to land commercial airliners under emergency conditions, according to federal records.
No one has been injured in the incidents, which span about a decade. There are more than 2,500 planes from the Airbus 320 family, which includes the Airbus 318, 319 and 321 models, in operation worldwide. Aviation safety officials Thursday said the planes have a good safety record.
In the most recent case, JetBlue's flight from Burbank to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, was forced Wednesday to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport. The plight of the aircraft was televised nationwide, beginning with the plane circling over the California coast and ending at an LAX runway with a landing marked by fire streaming from the plane's front wheels.
Howard Plagens, a senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating Wednesday's incident, called problems with landing gear "common."
At a news conference Thursday at the Proud Bird Restaurant outside LAX, he said he believed that passengers had no reason for concern about the safety of the Airbus fleet.
"How many Airbus A320s are out there?" he said, adding that the number of times the wheels have locked is small.
"Incidents happen every day" involving landing gear on all types of planes, he said.
The locking of the nose landing gear on Airbus jets is one of several recurring problems with the plane's nose landing gear.
A Canadian study issued last year documented 67 incidents of nose-landing-gear failures on Airbus 319, 320 and 321 aircraft worldwide since 1989.
[snip]
"If we find a pattern, we'll certainly do something," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Good for you. That is very impressive. I am going to work on being exclusive like that.
Unfortunately, I fear MD-80's.
Baloney, tons of american parts on airbus, tons of foreign parts on Boeing.
But, if it makes you feel all proud and special, keep it up. I prefer a 320 or 330 over a 737 or 767 any time, much more comfy.
I've had a few fun flights in the TU-134 myself.
How long will it take the French to blame Bush for this one?
Yeah, I thought it quite odd that a pilot could literaly kick the rudder off the plane in turbulance as the NTSB found, by applying full rudder to counter act the turbulance.
Same non-comfy seats on all planes.
It's the assembly and statistical process control that makes Boeing better. Those socialist French probably have wine on their lunch break while working their 7 hour days. Who cares if the Airbus nose gear is on crooked?
How many in your sample have similar landing gear?
Didn't/Doesn't Airbus have a rudder problem also?
Airbus is a consortium of many nations, not just the french.
They make good planes, well built craft, along with Boeing and Embraer they are the top passenger airplane manufacturers.
Guess what? The company that makes the landing gear for the A320 also makes the landing gear for the Boeing 787.
LOL
The landing gear structure should be sound. The forgings are products of the USA. Made in the same plant that makes the solid rocket booster casings for the space shuttle.
And yes, I am nationalistic.
ScrutiniZe that.
And you are such a deep thinker.
It's American.
You must be british (Mediocre Britain - once Great, before the gun-grabbing socialists took control).
I TOLD you I was nationalistic. :)
No, you are just ill informed.
Its American if a huge part of the plane is made elsewhere?
Enjoy your illusions, it makes you sleep well at night.
Not British, born and raised in the good old USA, been to Britian several times, nice place, good beer and such.
And yes, most products, even if many parts are made elsewhere, are considered the product of the country who made the vast majority of the parts, whose workers did most of the labor, and whose company made most of the profit.
I DO sleep well at night.
As to thinking you might be British, I mainly thought that due to your screen name. Scrutinize, in most parts of the English speaking world, is spelled with a "z", but the quirky Brits use an "s".
That's right, I forgot about that merger mania. MD, Hughes, Rockadyne, what else? It was like the Microsoft model, if you want to compete with us, we'll just buy you out. LOL
I have to agree that Boeing has the most robust design and best quality control. They are striving for Toyota quality which imho is the best in the world.
Yeah, I heard that as well about the landing gear made by the same mfg. There are other parts from the same mfg, like BAE? They must have some strong language in their contracts about sharing proprietary designs. Must be difficult to manage proprietary issues.
Yes, Airbus is controlled by EADS, a consortium of nations including England and Germany. It is just assembled in Toulouse. It seems successful. Could that type of model be the reason that the 787 will be built by a consortium of nations and assembled in Seattle?
I like the British spelling, it predates ours, makes life more interesting, and adds colour to the language. LOL
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