New Concorde safety scare
Concorde was at the centre of a major new safety scare today after one lost part of its tail rudder during a flight from London to New York.
Safety inspectors say they are "very concerned" over the incident and have launched a full-scale investigation. The supersonic jet's pilots said they felt a continuous vibration as the aircraft was approaching New York last Wednesday.
After landing they were stunned to find that part of one of the tail fin's lower rudderswas missing. The incident-is the latest in a series of mishaps to hit the aircraft since it was relaunched following the Paris crash in 2000 that killed 113 people. It has sparked concern within British Airways as it is the fifth time a Concorde rudder has failed since 1989, despite changes to inspection procedures aimed at preventing similar problems.
Air accident investigators are understood to be concerned that the incident is "very similar" to a previous one in 1998.
A report after that incident said that checks should have detected that the rudder was coming apart. Investigators at the Air Accident Investigation Branch will want to know if subsequent tightening of investigation procedures failed to work.
There is extreme sensitivity in the air industry about the jet's safety record following the Paris disaster in July 2000. Last month it was revealed that two BA Concordes had recently developed problems during transatlantic flights.
An engine failure forced one New York-bound plane to turn back to London and another flight was forced to cut its speed when cracks appeared in a window.
In a third incident last month, engine failure forced an Air France Concorde to descend thousands of metres, causing panic on board.
Following the latest incident BA said none of the 96 passengers on board flight 001 was aware of what had happened during the threehour 50-minute journey. The Civil Aviation Authority says it has a continuing programme to monitor Concorde rudders and it is happy for the aircraft to continue flying.
BA said today: "A small part of one of the tail's four rudders became detached during the flight.
The plane landed safely at JFK and is now back in London where it is being examined."
