Second Airbus crash calls into question plane’s ability to withstand severe weather

June 30, 12:32 PMDenver Weather ExaminerTony Hake

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A Yemenia airlines Airbus A310, similar to this plane, crashed
Tuesday morning with 153 people aboard.  Speculation is rising
that weather may have contributed to the second Airbus crash in
a month. (Image: Chris Sharps)

News reports this morning of the second Airbus manufactured jet in possible severe weather conditions have raised the specter that the planes many not be air worthy under certain conditions.  Early Tuesday morning an Airbus A310 with 153 people aboard crashed into the Indian Ocean with reports of strong winds being recorded at the time of the crash.  The crash follows on the loss of an Air France Airbus A330 with 228 people on board earlier this month in the Atlantic when severe thunderstorms were reported. 

• Video: Yemeni Airline Crashes With 153 on Board
• Slideshow:  Reactions to Yemeni airline crash
• Previous story: As Air France wreckage is found, weather remains the focus of investigation
• Related: Another Airbus plane crash in bad weather with a connection to Paris

The crash today of the Yemenia airlines flight IY 626 enroute from Yemen to Comoros occurred during what is being described by Yemeni news as “tough weather.”  The plane was 11 miles from its destination and preparing to land in what senior Yemeni aviation official Mohammad Abdel Kader said was 71 mile-per-hour winds. 

IHS Jane’s expert Chris Yates said in a statement on the organizations website that, “Weather may indeed have been the primary cause of the crash of this Yemeni Air A310-300. The French Minister for Transport has just confirmed that the aircraft aborted an initial landing and was making a second approach to the Moroni airport.”

Four weeks ago, Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic after crossing the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) through which the flight was going and thunderstorms were occurring.  The ITCZ is an area of low pressure near the equator associated with severe thunderstorms caused by tropical heat.  Airbus, manufacturer of the jets involved in the recent crashes, sent a reminder to all pilots after the Air France crash reminding them of proper procedures when encountering severe weather . 

Last week, the National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was investigating two recent incidents involving Airbus A330 planes where airspeed and altitude cockpit indicators failed.  In one incident aboard a TAM Airlines Flight from Miami to San Paulo, Brazil, the flight crew noted a quick drop in outside air temperature followed by the loss of computers that supply airspeed and altitude information.  The second incident was similar but investigators are still gathering data.

Questions about the composite materials used in the construction of Airbus jets have been raised in the past.  The two recent crashes are once again putting scrutiny in the material’s strength and its ability to withstand stress. 

The vertical stabilizer and rudder on the A310, the type of plane lost in today’s crash has a history of failures and other Airbus manufactured jets have had failures with catastrophic results.  Most notably, American Airlines Flight 587 in November 2001 crashed into a Queens, New York neighborhood.  Eyewitnesses described seeing the plane, an Airbus A300, lose its vertical stabilizer after encountering wake turbulence from a flight ahead of it.  This was one of three similar incidents involving Airbus manufactured jets’ vertical stabilizers. 

Some aviation experts have noted that Air France Flight 447’s A330 plane’s vertical stabilizer was found intact leading to theories that it may have separated entirely from the plane in mid-air. 

George Larson, editor emeritus of Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine, recently relayed an email conversation he had with a certified aircraft maintenance professional in Opa Locka, Florida.  Larson said, “His observations confirm prior assessments of Airbus structural deficiencies within our flight test and aero-structures communities by those who have seen the closely held reports of A3XX-series vertical fin failures.”

The certified mechanic relayed his experience with Airbus airframes saying, “Airbus products are the flimsiest and most poorly designed as far as airframe structure is concerned by an almost obsession to utilize composite materials.”  In regards to the vertical stabilizer he said, “The vertical fin along with the composite hinges on rudder and elevators is the worst example of structural use of composites I have ever seen and I am not surprised by the current pictures of rescue crews recovering the complete vertical fin and rudder assembly at some distance from the crash site.”

Much more will be learned in the coming days and weeks about the weather conditions at the time of these two most recent crashes – a preliminary report on the Air France flight is due Thursday.  However, if there are questions about these planes’ ability to withstand turbulence or high wind shears, further investigation and corrective action may be required.