Narrative:

11/wed/2001 flight xyz from ZZZZ, foreign international airport to ZZZ, us airport. Clearance from ZZZZ was to turn left after departure. Heading 270 degrees climbing to FL310. Tower cleared climb to 3000 ft. First officer was flying the aircraft and after takeoff in the turn to 270 degrees aircraft started a vibration on the tail. ECAM flight control page showed no movement. The captain took the airplane to see how it felt and ask me to put the autoplt on to see if the vibration would go away. We tried both autoplts. The vibration subsided somewhat. We decided to go back to ZZZZ airport. First officer took the airplane back and flew the approach and landing back to ZZZZ. The autoplt was kept on and disconnected at about 1500 ft. The landing was a smooth landing, (overweight approximately 338,000) 300 ft rate of descent. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the airplane had a side to side movement in the yaw axis with a kind of fluttering vibration. The reporter said no report of findings or cause has been released by maintenance. Follow-up callback from acn 531245 (2/wed/02): the reporter stated the airplane was not operated by the rptrs after maintenance was performed at ZZZ. The reporter said the airplane was taken out of service and was in ZZZ for about one week where technicians and engineers were flown in from the maintenance base. The reporter stated the flight data recorder and voice recorder and other black boxes were removed and flown to washington. The reporter said the airplane was checked by maintenance and returned to service. The reporter said no information was given to him by maintenance. The reporter stated that he keeps good records on the airplanes he flies, and about one month ago this same airplane had a repeat report of tail vibration and was maintenance ferried to the overhaul base for correction. The reporter said it was rumored the yaw damper actuators were replaced. Follow-up callback from acn 531246 (2/wed/02): the reporter stated the incident in ZZZ and the maintenance action taken was unknown as maintenance had not responded to his request for findings. The reporter stated the airplane was out of service in ZZZ for one week while overhaul technicians and systems engineers checked out the airplane. The reporter said the black boxes were pulled and sent to washington for inspection and testing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS 300 ON TKOF AT 600 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO RUDDER FLUTTER IN THE YAW AXIS. CAUSE UNKNOWN.

Narrative: 11/WED/2001 FLT XYZ FROM ZZZZ, FOREIGN INTL ARPT TO ZZZ, US ARPT. CLRNC FROM ZZZZ WAS TO TURN LEFT AFTER DEP. HEADING 270 DEGS CLBING TO FL310. TWR CLRED CLB TO 3000 FT. FO WAS FLYING THE ACFT AND AFTER TKOF IN THE TURN TO 270 DEGS ACFT STARTED A VIBRATION ON THE TAIL. ECAM FLT CTL PAGE SHOWED NO MOVEMENT. THE CAPT TOOK THE AIRPLANE TO SEE HOW IT FELT AND ASK ME TO PUT THE AUTOPLT ON TO SEE IF THE VIBRATION WOULD GO AWAY. WE TRIED BOTH AUTOPLTS. THE VIBRATION SUBSIDED SOMEWHAT. WE DECIDED TO GO BACK TO ZZZZ ARPT. FO TOOK THE AIRPLANE BACK AND FLEW THE APCH AND LNDG BACK TO ZZZZ. THE AUTOPLT WAS KEPT ON AND DISCONNECTED AT ABOUT 1500 FT. THE LNDG WAS A SMOOTH LNDG, (OVERWT APPROX 338,000) 300 FT RATE OF DSCNT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE HAD A SIDE TO SIDE MOVEMENT IN THE YAW AXIS WITH A KIND OF FLUTTERING VIBRATION. THE RPTR SAID NO RPT OF FINDINGS OR CAUSE HAS BEEN RELEASED BY MAINT. FOLLOW-UP CALLBACK FROM ACN 531245 (2/WED/02): THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT OPERATED BY THE RPTRS AFTER MAINT WAS PERFORMED AT ZZZ. THE RPTR SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS TAKEN OUT OF SVC AND WAS IN ZZZ FOR ABOUT ONE WEEK WHERE TECHNICIANS AND ENGINEERS WERE FLOWN IN FROM THE MAINT BASE. THE RPTR STATED THE FLT DATA RECORDER AND VOICE RECORDER AND OTHER BLACK BOXES WERE REMOVED AND FLOWN TO WASHINGTON. THE RPTR SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS CHKED BY MAINT AND RETURNED TO SVC. THE RPTR SAID NO INFO WAS GIVEN TO HIM BY MAINT. THE RPTR STATED THAT HE KEEPS GOOD RECORDS ON THE AIRPLANES HE FLIES, AND ABOUT ONE MONTH AGO THIS SAME AIRPLANE HAD A REPEAT RPT OF TAIL VIBRATION AND WAS MAINT FERRIED TO THE OVERHAUL BASE FOR CORRECTION. THE RPTR SAID IT WAS RUMORED THE YAW DAMPER ACTUATORS WERE REPLACED. FOLLOW-UP CALLBACK FROM ACN 531246 (2/WED/02): THE RPTR STATED THE INCIDENT IN ZZZ AND THE MAINT ACTION TAKEN WAS UNKNOWN AS MAINT HAD NOT RESPONDED TO HIS REQUEST FOR FINDINGS. THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS OUT OF SVC IN ZZZ FOR ONE WEEK WHILE OVERHAUL TECHNICIANS AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERS CHKED OUT THE AIRPLANE. THE RPTR SAID THE BLACK BOXES WERE PULLED AND SENT TO WASHINGTON FOR INSPECTION AND TESTING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.