US and French aviation authorities have been asked by the US National Transportation Safety Board to review options and require modifications to the Airbus A300-600 and A310 to increase protection against potentially hazardous rudder-pedal inputs at higher airspeeds. Airbus does not believe the rudder's design was a factor in the American Airlines Flight 587 crash that prompted the NTSB recommendation, but says it will co-operate with the review. The NTSB has also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to include a standard for rudder-pedal sensitivity in Part 25 certification regulations, determine whether existing aircraft meet the standard and require modifications if they do not provide adequate protection against adverse aircraft-pilot coupling.
Source: Flight International
