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pj67coll · #13 06-30-2009, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselAddict

Some of you guys are jumping to uninformed conclusions. The investigation thus far into the Air France crash points to a faulty speed meter. Any airplane will break apart if flown too fast, doesn't matter where it's made. And about this latest crash we don't really know what happened yet. From my news readings I remember more Boeing 737 crashes than anything else.

I've been looking at an aviation forum where the AF crash has been discussed a lot recently. Frankly the evidence is far to incomplete to indicate what really happened. However there have been a lot of problems associated with faulty speed sensors on Airbus planes recently, far more than on Boeing although there was one incident on a Boeing recently.

I had no idea just how little margin for error there is at high altitudes. FL350 etc. The coffin corner it's called. If the plane goes to fast or to slow at that height it becomes aerodynamically unstable and extreme buffetting occurs, similar to severe turbulence. I'm paraphrasing here but I'm no expert.

If a plane is too weak such buffetting can cause it to break apart. As I've pointed out three Airbuses lost their tails, or portions of their tails and there is concern that composite technology is not yet mature enough to handle the stresses concerned. Or that Airbus is not implementing it properly.

As I've said, while I'm aware Boeing has it's share of problems structural integrity does not appear to be one of them.

- Peter.