IMAGINE trying to diagnose a stomach ulcer from the look of a person’s skin. Airlines attempt a similar feat when they visually inspect the surface of composite materials for signs of trouble beneath. Not surprisingly, some pilots think this is a bad idea. The debate could soon be settled by a series of tests on composite rudders of some Airbus jets.
“Pilots want to be sure that visual checks really can reveal deep defects in the structure”
News that the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (CTSB) plans to test the rudders emerged last week in an interim report on its investigation…
