Mechanics want Airbus 'taken out of service'

After American Airlines certified that it found "no problems with the tail section" of any of its remaining 34 Airbus A300s, mechanics in Boston reported finding loose rudder fasteners on three jets stationed at Logan International Airport, sources say.

The repairs were minor, however, and the planes were not grounded.

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But "the mechanics in our station want the Airbus [planes] taken out of service," said an American Airlines employee.

The National Transportation Safety Board suspects rudder mechanical problems led to the Nov. 12 crash of American Flight 587 in New York. It has sent the tail-section wreckage of the A300 to NASA for further examination.

American Airlines on Nov. 19 completed a visual inspection of the vertical stabilizer, rudder and tail of its remaining A300s, and the entire fleet passed, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline says.

"We found no problems with the tail section of any of the 34 aircraft," said Mike Gunn, American executive vice president, in a letter reassuring frequent fliers. "These inspections were initiated as a precaution and since no problems were found, all 34 A300s are in service."

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In examining the A300 that crashed, NASA will inspect lugs and fittings that attached the stabilizer to the fuselage and rudder, as well as advanced composite materials that make up the skin of the stabilizer.

The stabilizer fell off the plane first. Parts of the tail section were broken off clean, in near perfect pieces.

Plastics industry sources say they are nervous that the composite may be blamed for the crash.

Sabotage related to terrorism has not been completely ruled out as a cause of the crash, which killed 260 people on board and five others on the ground.