FAA orders replacement of Airbus airspeed sensors
Joan Lowy reports, “federal safety officials are ordering the replacement of Airbus airspeed sensors” (AP for FindLaw, 9/3). These sensors are the kind suspected of causing the fatal crashes of Air France Flight 447 and all 228 on the plane in June.
The Federal Aviation Administration published a notice Thursday stating “U.S. airlines operating Airbus A330s and A430s must replace at least two or the three sensors on the plane.” European electronics company Thales Corporation made the old parts, and the replacements are a product of North Carolina-based Goodrich Corporation.
In the notice the FAA said that the old sensors could become blocked and defective at high altitudes by ice crystals, which was the suspected cause of the June Air France crash. Furthermore, the European aviation safety agency finalized a similar order at the end of August.
As a personal injury lawyer, I am pleased to see the steps taken by both the European and American aviation safety agencies to prevent further airline-related deaths. This is an important step after a season of more than usual airline incident.
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