Boeing747-400 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (12 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 911 times:
I just saw on the news. FAA orders the 737 rudder system to be replaced with new ones. They say that the current rudder systems are still safe, but they want the newest technology.
It will take 5 years for them to replace the rudder systems on all 737's in service!
Ben88 From United States of America, joined Dec 1999, 1093 posts, RR: 3 Reply 1, posted (12 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 600 times:
Can you provide an internet link to this story? This will be a multi-billion dollar undertaking if it is true.
Starship From South Africa, joined Nov 1999, 1098 posts, RR: 16 Reply 3, posted (12 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 557 times:
This is a graph of the final moments of the Alliance Air 737 which crashed on July 17, 2000. I'm not too sure what to make of the excessive roll angles (in pink) during the final moments of that flight. A rudder problem perhaps? Speed dropped to 120 knots about 10 seconds before the crash before increasing to 143 odd at impact.
Plot of Pitch and Roll Altitude of Aircraft versus Time :
Starship From South Africa, joined Nov 1999, 1098 posts, RR: 16 Reply 4, posted (12 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 530 times:
From the FAA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APA 66-00
September 13, 2000
Contact: Les Dorr, Jr.
Phone: 202-267-8521
MEDIA ADVISORY: FAA ACTIONS ON BOEING 737 RUDDER SYSTEM
WASHINGTON - On Thursday, September 14, at 1:00 p.m. EDT,
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will discuss a series of
new initiatives to enhance the safety of the Boeing 737 rudder
system. The briefing also will include the results of the
top-to-bottom review of the system done by the Boeing 737
Engineering Test and Evaluation Board, a 22-member team of
experts from government and industry.
The briefing will be held in Conference Room 9A-B on the ninth
floor of FAA Headquarters, 800 Independence Ave., S.W.
Comments will be on the record, but cameras and electronic
recording devices will not be permitted. Only credentialed media
representatives will be admitted to this event.
Hmmmm... From Canada, joined May 1999, 2088 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (12 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 509 times:
That Alliance Air crash was not a rudder problem. The plane stalled in a turn. That can actually be read from the graph, even though I admit I looked it up at a website.
In a rudder-induced crash, the plane goes nose first straight down like a dive bomber, turning as it goes, obliterating everything upon impact except pieces of paper, ironically. What has the least mass, has the least inertia, and is therefore, least affected by the tremendous g-forces produced by such an impact. In the USAir crash, the 132 people on that plane were reduced to 6,000 pieces of flesh. That works out to each body being reduced to 45 separate chunks. Like a jigsaw. The first people on the crash site recorded that the only thing identifying the plane and the people were the hundreds of pieces of paper flying all around. Nothing of mass remained.
Now you know why I have such strong feelings on this matter.
The FAA should have mandated a retrofit years ago.
But I'm afraid that will not be the case. The cost would be staggering. It's much cheaper to let the odd one crash every now and then rather than rip out the tail of every 737 ever produced and still flying.
I don't believe this is a mandate for a retrofit of all US-based 737s. It is merely to "improve" an already "safe" rudder system for future units.
Hmmmm...
An optimist robs himself of the joy of being pleasantly surprised
Sponsor Message: 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From United States of America, joined Dec 1999, 1093 posts, 
From South Africa, joined Nov 1999, 1098 posts, 
From Canada, joined May 1999, 2088 posts,