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Transport Canada Records Show Trouble With Wing Flaps That Slow Airbus A-340

Posted on: Monday, 8 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

TORONTO (CP) - Transport Canada records suggest the wing flaps that help to slow large passenger jets during landing have been a problem in the past for the Airbus A-340, the plane that crashed last week at Pearson International Airport.

There have been four incidents of wing flap, or spoiler, failure over the past five years that forced pilots to land without the extra braking power, the agency's own reports say.

Based on his analysis of the data, Canadian aviation expert Alex Richman says investigators probing the Air France crash should pay particular attention to the flaps.

In December 2001, an Airbus A-340 missed its approach in Hong Kong due to flap problems, was forced to abort the first landing attempt and eventually touched down without the extra braking capability of its spoilers.

A similar scenario played out for another A-340 earlier that year.

Last Tuesday, Air France Flight 358 skidded off the runway and crashed in flames before all 309 people on board managed to escape.

In February 2004, the flaps of an Airbus locked after takeoff with the plane about 30 metres above the ground. The plane returned immediately for repairs only to have the flaps fail again on its second takeoff attempt. Faulty sensors were to blame.

The fourth flapless landing, in November 2000, involved a faulty flight control messaging system.

Transportation Safety Board lead investigator Real Levasseur has already confirmed Air France Flight 358 landed too far down the runway to stop in time given the heavy rain and stormy conditions.

Levasseur's team has been analyzing the charred wreckage in the hopes of pinpointing the cause of the crash.

Although spoilers contribute only a fraction of an airplane's total braking power, Richman says every bit helps - especially in rough weather.

Richman says a failure for the flaps to activate during last week's accident would only add to the combination of factors working against a safe touch down.

Despite emergency braking - at least 1,600 feet of the runway bears the skid marks of Flight 358 - the plane hurtled off the end of the strip at nearly 150 kilometres per hour.

Only 43 people suffered minor injuries.

Source: Canadian Press

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