Aircraft News - North America

New York (AirGuideBusiness - Aircraft News North America) Jun 6, 2010 Air Canada The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has determined that alternating rudder control by the captain of an Air Canada Airbus A319 that encountered wake turbulence at altitude while flying more than 18.5km (10nm) behind a United Airlines Boeing 747-400 at 36,000ft (10,973m) on 10 January 2008 stressed the aircraft's vertical fin beyond certification limit loads. In a final report released 1 June, investigators reveal that rudder input by the captain in response to what he assumed to be a control system failure caused the rear vertical stabiliser attachment fitting to see 129 percent of the structure's limit load, and the rear fuselage fitting to see 121 percent of its limit load. Airbus tests the vertical fin to 150 percent of its limit load during certification. TSB notes that an upper limit for what the fin can handle was not determined during A319 certification testing "due to test equipment limitations". Jun 1, 2010