US federal investigators have concluded that a pilot error caused the crash of American Airlines flight 587 over Queens, NYC shortly after takeoff en route to Santo Domingo on 12 November 2001. Most of the 250 passengers onboard were Dominicans, all of whom were killed in the crash. According to the report presented by investigators to the National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday morning, the co-pilot’s response to wake turbulence encountered just after takeoff was “unnecessary and aggressive” and put too much pressure on the rudder, which caused the tail fin to shear off.
NTSB investigator Robert Benzon testified that American Airlines had not properly trained its pilots to use the aircraft’s rudder while recovering from upsets. As reported, American Airlines has claimed that the manufacturer, Airbus, didn’t warn of any dangers related to sharp rudder movements. Airbus, however, says it did. The report is expected to be released to the public in the coming weeks.
An American Airlines press release says it is encouraged that the National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the highly-sensitive rudder system on the Airbus A300-600 aircraft was a contributing factor in the accident. Nevertheless, it states that it is “extremely disappointed” that the Board named the pilot’s actions as the probable cause, and that elements of American’s advanced aircraft maneuvering program, which teaches pilots to recover from aircraft upsets, were a contributing factor.
The airline says that it flies the Airbus A300-600 because of the knowledge it gained from the Flight 587 investigation and changes it made to its procedures as a result.