Narrative:

Flew nov/sat/02, following NTSB release of animation showing rear pressure bulkhead failure and loss of aircraft. Did not know if nov/sat/02, aircraft flew had been inspected to prevent similar occurrence as NTSB reported aircraft. Chain of events and human performance factors shown. Unapproved procedure presented. I flew aircraft X in 2001. The information enclosed is directed to you, because of metal failures on the aircraft. ZZZ1 is where the air carrier's airbus fleet is repaired. Wing braces, fuselage patches, landing gear repairs, to name a few I have seen are manufactured and applied there. My understanding is an agreement is in effect for these major repairs. Some of the repair designs at ZZZ1 were later accepted by airbus as worldwide A300-600 fleet inspection and repair items. Enclosed, you will find a description of matters that explain to me what happened nov/mon/01. Unless you can provide a difference of opinion, these events explain failures, pilot actions, noises, and wreckage, including the type of tear seen on the tail fin supports. The information enclosed has satisfied a number of A300 pilots about what happened that day. Given the current political climate in washington, pilots prefer to network amongst themselves about such matters. Yet, we cannot solve the problem. I would ask that NTSB auths immediately require a very detailed, inspect, disassemble, stress test, reassemble and return to service order for the tail fin support structure. Where the structure meets at the fuselage or aft pressure bulkhead, the pressure bulkhead at fuselage and fuselage itself should be inspected and tested for original design strength. Aft rear pressurized bulkhead reinforcement has been seen since 1993 on this section on all A300's I have flown. But, the A300 was additionally unique as a former test aircraft for the tail fuel modification and as the oldest A300 in the air carrier's fleet. Much of what you will read measures from accurate record keeping. There is a sub-journal to the maintenance logbook. These ledgers are referenced in a very small block on the bottom of the logbook. These journals of maintenance activity are done in hangar areas or at ZZZ1. They document what we as operator see on the aircraft. We cannot know without reading them why we see what we see. We can only assume the work meets FAA certification and engineering design requirements. Until this week, I believed a reoccurrence of tail fin failure was unlikely, based on previous experience. The NTSB hearing revelations, however, show how critical the tail fin support structure is. I am one of a very few pilots, who have had to use substantial rudder to fly the aircraft. Had the tail fin been unstepped in a flight on october 2000, when the right engine seized over miami, it certainly would have broken off. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated he started making a detailed study of the pressure bulkhead structure and the tail fin support structure on the airbus 300 after discovering a large external repair on a walkaround inspection. The reporter said the repair was an external doubler 24 inches wide X 48 inches to 60 inches in length and .375 thickness aft of and above door 4 left covering the left pressure bulkhead structure where it joins the fuselage skin and the tail fin support structure. The reporter states that all airplanes that had this doubler repair have now been grounded. The reporter said he believes this doubler failed in a recent airbus 300 crash and caused failure of the pressure bulkhead and the tail fin support structure. The reporter stated a letter has been sent to the NTSB, where the doubler repair has been described and a possible sequence of events that occurred with the doubler failure. The reporter said no reply from the letter has been received from the NTSB to date.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN AIRBUS 300 CAPT BELIEVES THE TAIL FIN STRUCTURE AND PRESSURE BULKHEAD STRUCTURE SHOULD BE INSPECTED AND TESTED FOR ORIGINAL DESIGN STRENGTH.

Narrative: FLEW NOV/SAT/02, FOLLOWING NTSB RELEASE OF ANIMATION SHOWING REAR PRESSURE BULKHEAD FAILURE AND LOSS OF ACFT. DID NOT KNOW IF NOV/SAT/02, ACFT FLEW HAD BEEN INSPECTED TO PREVENT SIMILAR OCCURRENCE AS NTSB RPTED ACFT. CHAIN OF EVENTS AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE FACTORS SHOWN. UNAPPROVED PROC PRESENTED. I FLEW ACFT X IN 2001. THE INFO ENCLOSED IS DIRECTED TO YOU, BECAUSE OF METAL FAILURES ON THE ACFT. ZZZ1 IS WHERE THE ACR'S AIRBUS FLEET IS REPAIRED. WING BRACES, FUSELAGE PATCHES, LNDG GEAR REPAIRS, TO NAME A FEW I HAVE SEEN ARE MANUFACTURED AND APPLIED THERE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS AN AGREEMENT IS IN EFFECT FOR THESE MAJOR REPAIRS. SOME OF THE REPAIR DESIGNS AT ZZZ1 WERE LATER ACCEPTED BY AIRBUS AS WORLDWIDE A300-600 FLEET INSPECTION AND REPAIR ITEMS. ENCLOSED, YOU WILL FIND A DESCRIPTION OF MATTERS THAT EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT HAPPENED NOV/MON/01. UNLESS YOU CAN PROVIDE A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION, THESE EVENTS EXPLAIN FAILURES, PLT ACTIONS, NOISES, AND WRECKAGE, INCLUDING THE TYPE OF TEAR SEEN ON THE TAIL FIN SUPPORTS. THE INFO ENCLOSED HAS SATISFIED A NUMBER OF A300 PLTS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY. GIVEN THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE IN WASHINGTON, PLTS PREFER TO NETWORK AMONGST THEMSELVES ABOUT SUCH MATTERS. YET, WE CANNOT SOLVE THE PROB. I WOULD ASK THAT NTSB AUTHS IMMEDIATELY REQUIRE A VERY DETAILED, INSPECT, DISASSEMBLE, STRESS TEST, REASSEMBLE AND RETURN TO SVC ORDER FOR THE TAIL FIN SUPPORT STRUCTURE. WHERE THE STRUCTURE MEETS AT THE FUSELAGE OR AFT PRESSURE BULKHEAD, THE PRESSURE BULKHEAD AT FUSELAGE AND FUSELAGE ITSELF SHOULD BE INSPECTED AND TESTED FOR ORIGINAL DESIGN STRENGTH. AFT REAR PRESSURIZED BULKHEAD REINFORCEMENT HAS BEEN SEEN SINCE 1993 ON THIS SECTION ON ALL A300'S I HAVE FLOWN. BUT, THE A300 WAS ADDITIONALLY UNIQUE AS A FORMER TEST ACFT FOR THE TAIL FUEL MODIFICATION AND AS THE OLDEST A300 IN THE ACR'S FLEET. MUCH OF WHAT YOU WILL READ MEASURES FROM ACCURATE RECORD KEEPING. THERE IS A SUB-JOURNAL TO THE MAINT LOGBOOK. THESE LEDGERS ARE REFED IN A VERY SMALL BLOCK ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LOGBOOK. THESE JOURNALS OF MAINT ACTIVITY ARE DONE IN HANGAR AREAS OR AT ZZZ1. THEY DOCUMENT WHAT WE AS OPERATOR SEE ON THE ACFT. WE CANNOT KNOW WITHOUT READING THEM WHY WE SEE WHAT WE SEE. WE CAN ONLY ASSUME THE WORK MEETS FAA CERTIFICATION AND ENGINEERING DESIGN REQUIREMENTS. UNTIL THIS WK, I BELIEVED A REOCCURRENCE OF TAIL FIN FAILURE WAS UNLIKELY, BASED ON PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. THE NTSB HEARING REVELATIONS, HOWEVER, SHOW HOW CRITICAL THE TAIL FIN SUPPORT STRUCTURE IS. I AM ONE OF A VERY FEW PLTS, WHO HAVE HAD TO USE SUBSTANTIAL RUDDER TO FLY THE ACFT. HAD THE TAIL FIN BEEN UNSTEPPED IN A FLT ON OCTOBER 2000, WHEN THE R ENG SEIZED OVER MIAMI, IT CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BROKEN OFF. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE STARTED MAKING A DETAILED STUDY OF THE PRESSURE BULKHEAD STRUCTURE AND THE TAIL FIN SUPPORT STRUCTURE ON THE AIRBUS 300 AFTER DISCOVERING A LARGE EXTERNAL REPAIR ON A WALKAROUND INSPECTION. THE RPTR SAID THE REPAIR WAS AN EXTERNAL DOUBLER 24 INCHES WIDE X 48 INCHES TO 60 INCHES IN LENGTH AND .375 THICKNESS AFT OF AND ABOVE DOOR 4 L COVERING THE L PRESSURE BULKHEAD STRUCTURE WHERE IT JOINS THE FUSELAGE SKIN AND THE TAIL FIN SUPPORT STRUCTURE. THE RPTR STATES THAT ALL AIRPLANES THAT HAD THIS DOUBLER REPAIR HAVE NOW BEEN GNDED. THE RPTR SAID HE BELIEVES THIS DOUBLER FAILED IN A RECENT AIRBUS 300 CRASH AND CAUSED FAILURE OF THE PRESSURE BULKHEAD AND THE TAIL FIN SUPPORT STRUCTURE. THE RPTR STATED A LETTER HAS BEEN SENT TO THE NTSB, WHERE THE DOUBLER REPAIR HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AND A POSSIBLE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT OCCURRED WITH THE DOUBLER FAILURE. THE RPTR SAID NO REPLY FROM THE LETTER HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM THE NTSB TO DATE.

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.