Article extract >> SOURCE : SKY NEWS ONLINE

The co-pilot of an American Airlines plane caused the November 2001 crash that claimed the lives of 265 people, according to an official report.

Investigator Robert Benzon of the National Transportation Safety Board said the co-pilot's response to turbulence, just seconds after the Airbus A300-600 plane took off from New York's John F Kennedy Airport, caused the disaster.


Flight 587 crashed into the Rockaway disrtrict of Queens, New York, minutes after taking off into turbulence.

First Officer Sten Molin, the co-pilot, moved the plane's rudder back and forth after take off trying to control the climbing aircraft, not realizing he was sealing the grim fate of those on board, the report said.

Investigators believe Mr Molin's struggle with the rudder put huge strain on the plane's tail, causing it to break off.

Airbus Industries, which manufactured the jetliner, and American Airlines, which trained Mr Molin, agree that if he had taken his foot off the rudder pedal, the tail wouldn't have broken off and the plane wouldn't have plunged into the New York City neighborhood.

Why Mr Molin didn't know he was putting more pressure on the tail than it could bear is sure to be the subject of a bitter fight between Airbus and American Airlines.

American claims Airbus didn't alert it to the danger of sharp rudder movements until after the crash.

However, Airbus said it told American a number of times that the airline was improperly training pilots about how to use the rudder.

End extract <<

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Well we all know that at the time, because of recent events far worse things were feared to have brought down the aircraft but we now know with some certainty what actually happened.

I've got one question though, nearly 3 years, that's an awfully long time to reach these conclusions isn't it, i don't know i maybe wrong but it feels that way to me.

Opinions?? Comments??

Critic,