ISN'T THE NTSB IGNORING THE OBVIOUS IN THE USAIR 427 CRASH?

An Editorial Point of View

Why hasn't the NTSB yet reported its findings on the tail of USAir 427? It was one of the largest single components of the airplane that was found and examined, but NTSB spokesperson Carl Vogt has yet to make it a subject of any news conference.

Could it be that the FAA and NTSB would be embarrassed by their previous knowledge of rudder control problems of Boeing 737s?

After a 1991 United 585 crash in Colorado Springs, under strikingly similar circumstances as the USAir 427, the NTSB recommended to the FAA that Boeing 737s be regularly inspected for the possibility of a rudder reversal problem resulting from defects in the power control unit design. The FAA established such a program requiring an inspection every 750 flight hours until the rudder power control unit is redesigned. The USAir Flight 427 aircraft had been examined four times under this inspection program.

Isn't it curious that the NTSB hasn't made this previous rudder control concern now public? Why isn't it focusing more attention on the component that might have caused a previous and similar crash rather than focusing on irrelevant items such as the thrust reverser on the engine?

Obviously, both the NTSB and the FAA would be called to task if it turned out that their recommended and approved rudder power control unit inspection program wasn't sufficient to protect the lives of 132 additional victims.

While it is still too early to draw ironclad conclusions about the cause of the USAir crash, given the obvious similarities to the Colorado Springs crash and the history of the Boeing 737 rudder control, I suggest that some immediate steps be taken to limit the rudder authority on Boeing 737s until a new rudder control can be installed. It would be better to take such a precaution in an attempt to prevent a possible rudder hard-over in light of the fact that it could have been a contributing factor to the USAir 427 crash. Isn't it time that our governmental authorities worry more about insuring public safety than they do about minimizing the economic impact of their actions on the airline industry and those who manufacture aircraft?

NTSB CONCLUDES HEARINGS ON USAir FLIGHT 427 WITHOUT CONCLUDING THE OBVIOUS-- BLIND TO JAMMING SERVO VALVE

NTSB & FAA Fail To Protect Future Passengers

PHILADELPHIA -- November 17, 1995 -- Today, the NTSB wraps up three days of investigative hearings regarding the cause of the Pittsburgh crash of USAir Flight 427 on September 8, 1994, which resulted in 132 fatalities. Yet, the NTSB and the FAA still refuse to look at the obvious cause of this crash (also the most likely cause of the 1991 United Flight 585 crash in Colorado Springs): the faulty design of the servo valve -- a key component of the Boeing 737s rudder control power unit.

According to internationally-known aviation attorney Arthur A. Wolk, "The NTSB is a `broken part' organization. If a part isn't broken, then it couldn't have caused the crash. However, a malfunctioning part can be just as fatal. The servo valve is known to jam -- for reasons that become `invisible' after the crash.
"What the NTSB fails to do," Wolk continues, "is combine the available evidence with known design limitations and come to reasonable conclusions about the cause. The NTSB and FAA know the servo valve is defectively designed, so it can cause rudder reversals and spontaneous (uncommanded) rudder movements. Hundreds of pilots have reported uncommanded rudder movements in Boeing 737s since the aircraft's original certification, but these complaints fall on deaf ears."

"The NTSB and FAA should demand modifications of the Boeing 737's servo valve simply to comply with the Federal Aviation Regulations, but -- more importantly -- they should demand modifications to save the lives of future passengers."

USAIR FLIGHT 427 CRASH BEARS A HAUNTING RESEMBLANCE TO UNITED FLIGHT 585 CRASH IN 1991

Nationally Known Aviation Attorney Questions A Control System Malfunction

PHILADELPHIA -- September 9, 1994 -- Last night's tragic plane crash of USAir Flight 427 in Pittsburgh bears a haunting resemblance to the 1991 United Flight 585 crash which happened in Colorado Springs, Co. Witnesses' descriptions of the last moments of the USAir's Boeing 737 are strikingly similar to those of United 585 -- another Boeing 737.

In both accidents, the airplanes were described as rolling over onto their sides and diving straight into the ground. The manufacturer and airline in the Colorado accident claimed wind shear as the cause of the crash. Nationally known aviation attorney, pilot and spokesperson for aviation safety, Arthur A. Wolk, wonders where the blame will be placed this time because weather conditions at the time of the USAir Flight 427 crash were perfect.

"Interestingly," says Wolk, "the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) never fully investigated reported control malfunctions in the Boeing 737s. This was due in large part to the suspicion that the accident was caused by wind shear, or inclement weather, and not by a control malfunction. Hopefully, the FAA and the NTSB will now conduct an in-depth investigation of the control systems of the 737s and specifically those malfunctions which may have caused this accident. In doing so, they may prevent further loss of life."