Posted on 10/29/2002 10:32:36 AM PST by kattracks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The crew of a doomed American Airlines jetliner apparently was unaware the tail fin had fallen off as they struggled to control the plane before it crashed last year into a New York neighborhood, killing 265 in the second-worst U.S. aviation disaster.
Cockpit voice recordings released by the National Transportation Safety Board at the start of public hearings into the crash shed little light on the cause of the disaster. But they established a critical time line for events and illustrated the dramatic final seconds of Flight 587, an Airbus A300-600. Safety board investigators are probing a number of factors -- including actions of the crew, rudder movements, and the possible role of turbulence generated by a bigger plane -- in the crash that occurred 103 seconds after takeoff on Nov. 12, 2001, from John F. Kennedy airport en route to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The crash took place just two months after the catastrophic Sept. 11 hijackings, and immediately raised concerns it might have been another attack. But the safety board said then, and again on Tuesday, that the crash appeared to be an accident.
"There is no indication to date of any criminal activity associated with this crash," Carol Carmody, the acting safety board chairman, said at the hearing.
Investigators also said weather, which was clear at the time of the ill-fated flight, maintenance, air traffic control procedures, and engine performance were not factors in the accident.
There were also no apparent problems with the rudder before the flight, which is a critical finding.
Investigators believe a series of aggressive rudder swings a little more than a minute into the flight created substantial aerodynamic stresses on the tail fin, or vertical stabilizer, and caused it to break off the fuselage.
The safety board believes the crew was in full command of the flight controls, including the rudder movements. There have been some reports of rudders on other Airbus planes moving on their own without a pilot stepping on the pedals.
The voice recordings, which can provide a wealth of information for investigators, included comments from the pilot, Capt. Edward States, and the co-pilot, Sten Molin, who was flying the plane, as well as sounds heard by the crew.
The flight recorder captured routine conversation before takeoff, and the clipped jargon of cockpit procedures during the first minute of the flight, which was normal.
But then the plane encountered two wakes, similar to horizontal tornadoes, generated by a Japan Airlines 747 that took off from the same JFK runway two minutes before Flight 587 and was flying about 5 miles ahead.
The first, according to documents released at the hearing, was little more than a bump as the American jet crossed over it.
"Little wake turbulence, huh?" asked States.
"Yeah," Molin said.
Flight 587 hit the second wake seconds later as it began to turn left and climb to 2,400 feet. The cockpit recorder noted one "thump," followed by two more, and then a call by Molin in a "strained voice" for "max power."
While boosting the engines, the crew initiated a series of rapid back-and-forth rudder swings.
"You all right?" States asked.
"Yea, I'm fine," Molin replied.
"Hang onto it. Hang onto it," States called out.
There was a snap, another thump and then a loud bang, which investigators believe was the tail fin falling off the aircraft traveling at roughly 240 knots.
A roaring noise filled the cockpit and then two chimes sounded seconds apart, indicating the engines had fallen off. Engines are designed to break off when a plane spirals violently.
There were no indications from the recordings that the crew was aware the tail fin had fallen off the plane, as the pilots frantically struggled to determine what went wrong.
"What the hell are we into? We're stuck in it," Molin said after the tail fin had separated.
"Get out of it, get out of it," States said.
The transcript ended two seconds later at impact.
American is a unit of AMR Corp . Airbus, owned by European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co NV and Britain's BAE Systems Plc., which has defended its rudder system throughout the investigation.
You always hope to pull it out and recover. What they don't tell you in these transcripts are the last two words, just when it's realized that you're out of altitude (and options)...
Google up "unusual attitude." It isn't uncommon for planes to come apart AFTER they cannot be controlled.
And, as you point out, ignoring th eeyewitnesses makes this a pretty blatant propaganda piece.
Moreover, while the tail and engines coming off are something of a mystery by themselves, it is pretty much the result that one would expect if a shoe bomber succeeded in taking out the plane's controls (this was NOT an FBW AB, which would have more redundancy and survivability).
09:15:40 (66 seconds after liftoff) Airframe rattling noises recorded on the Cockpit Voice Recorder
09:15:54 (80 seconds after liftoff) 2nd airframe rattling noises on CVR
09:16:04.5 (90.5 seconds after liftoff ) The vertical stabilizer separates from the craft.
09:16:17 (103 seconds after liftoff) Plane crashes
Complete timeline and a wealth of other information can be found at www.usread.com
Normally, wake turbulence will extend backward and downward from the aircraft wingtip, like a horizontal Tornando.
Wind also will blow the vortex's, but sometimes they will hang, in calm wind and stay in or at an altitude, then the next plane in line runs into them.
I think there have been crashes caused by them, the Colorado 737 Crash into the school yard, and the Pittsburg Crash of a 737.
This one could be another example.
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