John Marder was in his calm mood—the dangerous one.
"Just a short interview," he said. 'Ten,
fifteen minutes at most. You won't have time to go into specifics.
But as the head of the IRT, you're in the perfect
position to explain the company's commitment to safety.
How carefully we review accidents. Our commitment to
product support. Then you can explain that our
preliminary report shows the accident was caused by a
counterfeit thruster cowl, installed at a foreign
repair station, so it could not have been a slats
event. And blow Barker out of the water. Blow Newsline
out of the water."
"John," she said. "I just came from
Audio. There's no question—the slats deployed."
"Well, audio's circumstantial at best,"
Marder said. "Ziegler's a nut. We have to wait for the flight data
recorder to know precisely what happened. Meanwhile,
the IRT has made a preliminary finding which
excludes slats."
As if hearing her own voice from a distance, she said,
"John, I'm uncomfortable with this."
"We're talking about the future, Casey."
"I understand, but—"
"The China sale will save the company. Cash flow,
stretch development, new aircraft, bright future. That's
what we're talking about here, Casey. Thousands of
jobs."
"I understand, John, but—"
"Let me ask you something, Casey. Do you think
there's anything wrong with the N-22?"
Absolutely not."
"You think it's a deathtrap?"
"No."
"What about the company? Think it's a good
company?"
"Of course."
He stared at her, shaking his head. Finally he said,
"There's someone I want you to talk to."
Edward Fuller was the head of Norton Legal. He was a
thin, ungainly man of forty. He sat uneasily in the
chair in Marder's office.
"Edward," Marder said, "we have a
problem. Newsline is going to run a story on the N-22 this weekend
on prime-time television, and it is going to be highly
unfavorable."
"How unfavorable?"
They're calling the N-22 a deathtrap."
"Oh dear," Fuller said. "That's very
unfortunate."
"Yes, it is," Marder said. "I brought
you in because I want to know what I can do about it."
"Do about it?" Fuller said, frowning.
"Yes," Marder said. "We feel Newsline
is being crudely sensationalistic. We regard their story as
uninformed, and prejudicial to our product. We believe
they are deliberately and recklessly defaming us."
"I see."
"So," Marder said. "What can we do? Can
we prevent them from running the story?'
"No."
"Can we get a court injunction barring
them?"
"No. That's prior restraint. And from a publicity
standpoint, it's ill advised."
"You mean it'd look bad."
"An attempt to muzzle the press? Violate the
First Amendment? That would suggest you have something
to hide."
"In other words," Marder said, "they
can run the story, and we are powerless to stop them."
"Yes."
"Okay. But I think Newsline's information is
inaccurate and biased. Can we demand they give equal time
to our evidence?"
"No," Fuller said. "The fairness
doctrine, which included the equal-time provision, was scrapped under
Reagan. Television news programs are under no
obligation to present all sides of an issue."
"So they can say anything they want? No matter
how unbalanced?"
"That's right."
"That doesn't seem proper."
"It's the law," Fuller said, with a shrug.
"Okay," Marder said. "Now, this program
is going to air at a very sensitive moment for our company.
Adverse publicity may very well cost us the China
sale."
"Yes, it might."
"Suppose we lost business as a result of their
show. If we can demonstrate that Newsline presented an
erroneous view— and we told them it was erroneous—can
we sue them for damages?"
"As a practical matter, no. We would probably
have to show they proceeded with 'reckless disregard' for
the facts known to them. Historically, that has been
extremely difficult to prove."
"So Newsline is not liable for damages?"
"No."
"They can say whatever they want, and if they put
us out of business, it's our tough luck?"
"That's correct."
"Is there any restraint at all on what they
say?"
"Well." Fuller shifted in the chair.
"If they falsely portrayed the company, they might be liable. But in this
instance, we have a lawsuit brought by an attorney for
a passenger on 545.
So Newsline is able to say they're just reporting the
facts: that an attorney has made the following
accusations about us."
"I understand," Marder said. "But a
claim filed in a court has limited publicity. Newsline is going to
present these crazy claims to forty million viewers.
And at the same time, they'll automatically validate
the claims, simply by repeating them on television.
The damage to us comes from their exposure, not
from the original claims."
"I take your point," Fuller said. "But
the law doesn't see it that way. Newsline has the right to report a
lawsuit."
"Newsline has no responsibility to independently
assess the legal claims being made, no matter how
outrageous? If the lawyer said, for example, that we
employed child molesters, Newsline could still report
that, with no liability to themselves?"
"Correct."
"Let's say we go to trial and win. It's clear
that Newsline presented an erroneous view of our product,
based on the attorney's allegations, which have been
thrown out of court. Is Newsline obligated to retract
the statements they made to forty million
viewers?"
"No. They have no such obligation."
"Why not?"
"Newsline can decide what's newsworthy. If they
think the outcome of the trial is not newsworthy, they
don't have to report it. It's their call."
"And meanwhile, the company is bankrupt,"
Marder said. "Thirty thousand employees lose their jobs,
houses, health benefits, and start new careers at
Burger King. And another fifty thousand lose their jobs,
when our suppliers go belly up in Georgia, Ohio, Texas,
and Connecticut. All those fine people who've
devoted their lives working to design, build, and
support the best airframe in the business get a firm
handshake and a swift kick in the butt. Is that how it
works?"
Fuller shrugged. "That's how the system works.
Yes."
"I'd say the system sucks."
"The system is the system," Fuller said.
Marder glanced at Casey, then turned back to Fuller.
"Now Ed," he said. "This situation sounds very
lopsided. We make a superb product, and all the
objective measures of its performance demonstrate that
it's safe and reliable. We've spent years developing
and testing it. We've got an irrefutable track record.
But you're saying a television crew can come in, hang
around a day or two, and trash our product on
national TV. And when they do, they have no
responsibility for their acts, and we have no way to recover
damages."
Fuller nodded.
"Pretty lopsided," Marder said.
Fuller cleared his throat. "Well, it wasn't
always that way. But for the last thirty years, since Sullivan in
1964, the First Amendment has been invoked in
defamation cases. Now the press has a lot more breathing
room."
"Including room for abuse," Marder said.
Fuller shrugged. "Press abuse is an old
complaint," he said. "Just a few years after the First Amendment
was passed, Thomas Jefferson complained about how
inaccurate the press was, how unfair—"
"But Ed," Marder said. "We're not
talking about two hundred years ago. And we're not talking about a
few nasty editorials in colonial newspapers. We're
talking about a television show with compelling
images that goes instantaneously to forty, fifty
million people—a sizable percentage of the whole
country—and murders our reputation. Murders it.
Unjustifiably. That's the situation we're talking about
here. So," Marder said, "what do you advise
us to do, Ed?"
"Well." Fuller cleared his throat again.
"I always advise my clients to tell the truth."
"That's fine, Ed. That's sound counsel. But what
do we doT
"It would be best," he said, "if you
were prepared to explain what occurred on Flight 545."
"It happened four days ago. We don't have a
finding yet." Fuller said, "It would be best if you did."
After Fuller had left, Marder turned to Casey. He
didn't say anything. He just looked at her.
Casey stood there for a moment. She understood what
Marder and the lawyer were doing. It had been a
very effective performance. But the lawyer was also
right, she thought. It would be best if they could tell
the truth, and explain the flight. As she listened to
him, she had begun to think that somehow she might
find a way to tell the truth—or enough of the truth—to
make this work. There were enough loose ends,
enough uncertainties, that she might pull them
together to form a coherent story.
"All right, John," she said. "I'll do
the interview."
"Excellent," Marder said, smiling and
rubbing his hands together. "I knew you'd do the right thing, Casey.
Newsline has scheduled a slot at four P.M. tomorrow.
Meantime I want you to work briefly with a media
consultant, someone from outside the company—"
"John," she said. "I'll do it my
way."
"She's a very nice woman, and—" "I'm
sorry," Casey said. "I don't
have time." "She can help you, Casey. Give
you a few pointers." "John," she said. "I have work to
do."
And she left the room.
..............................................................................................
Casey sat down.
"There's just a few things I'd like to remind you
of," Gershon said, "before your interview. You know
you'll be speaking to Martin Reardon."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes," she said, "which means you'll be
dealing with his distinctive interviewing style. That will make it
easier."
"I hope you're right."
"I am, dear," she said. "Are you
comfortable now?"
"I think so."
"I'd like to see you sit back in your chair.
There you go. Sit back. When you lean forward you appear too
eager, and your body gets tense. Sit back, so you can
take in what is said to you, and be relaxed. You
might want to do that in the interview. Sit back, I
mean. And be relaxed."
"All right," Casey said, sitting back.
"Relaxed now?"
"I think so," Casey said.
"Do you clasp your hands together like that on
the desk, usually? I'd like to see what happens if you place
your hands apart. Yes. Rest them on the desk, just
like you're doing. If you close your hands, it makes you
tense. It's so much better when you just stay open.
Good. Does that feel natural?"
"I guess so."
"You must be under great strain now,"
Gershon said, clucking sympathetically. "But I've known Martin
Reardon since he was a young reporter. Cronkite
disliked him. Thought Martin was cocky and
insubstantial. I fear that assessment has proved
accurate. Martin is all tricks and no substance. He's not
going to give you any trouble, Katharine. Not a woman
of your intelligence. You'll have no trouble at all."
Casey said, "You're making me feel
wonderful."
"I'm just telling you how it is," Gershon
said lightly. "The most important thing to remember with
Reardon is that you know more than he does. You've
worked in this business for years. Reardon has
literally just arrived. He probably flew in this
morning, and he will fly out again tonight. He's bright,
facile, and a quick study, but he does not have your
depth of knowledge. Remember that: you know more
than he does."
"Okay," Casey said.
"Now, because Reardon has almost no information
at his disposal, his chief skill is manipulating the
information you give him. Reardon has a reputation as
a hatchet man, but if you watch how he behaves,
he's actually a one-trick performer. And this is his
trick. He gets you to agree with a series of statements,
so you are nodding, yes, yes—and then he hits you with
something out of left field. Reardon's done that
his whole life. It's amazing people haven't caught on.
"He'll say, You're a woman. Yes. You live in
California. Yes. You have a good job. Yes. You enjoy life.
Yes. So why did you steal the money? And you've been
nodding along, and suddenly you're flustered,
you're off-balance—and he's got a reaction he can use.
"Remember, all he wants is that one-sentence
reaction. If he doesn't get it, he'll double back, and ask
the question another way. He may return to a subject
again and again. If he keeps raising a particular
topic, you'll know he hasn't gotten what he
wants."
"Okay."
"Martin has another trick. He will make a
provocative statement, and then pause, waiting for you to fill
the vacuum. He'll say, Casey, you make airplanes, so
you must know the planes are unsafe ... And wait
for you to answer. But notice he hasn't actually asked
a question."
Casey nodded.
"Or he will repeat what you say, in a tone of
disbelief."
"I understand," Casey said.
"You understand!" Gershon said, surprised,
raising her eyebrows. It was a pretty good imitation of
Reardon. "You see what I mean. You will be goaded
to defend yourself. But you don't have to. If Martin
doesn't ask a question, you needn't say anything."
Casey nodded. Not saying anything.
"Very good." Gershon smiled. "You'll do
just fine. Just remember to take all the time you want. The
interview is taped, so they'll cut out any pauses. If
you don't understand a question, ask him to clarify it.
Martin is extremely good at asking vague questions
that provoke specific answers. Remember: he doesn't
really know what he's talking about. He's just here
for the day."
"I understand," Casey said.
"Now. If you're comfortable looking at him, do
that. If you're not, you might choose a point somewhere
near his head, like the corner of a chair, or a
picture on the wall behind him. And focus on that instead.
The camera won't be able to tell you're not really
looking at him. Just do whatever you need to do to keep
your concentration."
Casey tried it, looking just past Gershon's ear.
"That's good," Gershon said. "You'll do
fine. There's only one more thing I can tell you, Katherine. You
work in a complex business. If you try to explain that
complexity to Martin, you'll be frustrated. You'll
feel he isn't interested. He'll probably cut you off.
Because he isn't interested. A lot of people complain
that television lacks focus. But that's the nature of
the medium. Television's not about information at all.
Information is active, engaging. Television is
passive. Information is disinterested, objective. Television
is emotional. It's entertainment. Whatever he says,
however he acts, in truth Martin has absolutely no
interest in you, or your company, or your airplanes.
He's paid to exercise his one reliable talent:
provoking people, getting them to make an emotional
outburst, to lose their temper, to say something
outrageous. He doesn't really want to know about
airplanes. He wants a media moment. If you understand
that, you can deal with him."
And she smiled, her grandmotherly smile. "I know
you'll do just fine, Casey."
Casey said, "Will you be there? At the
interview?'
"Oh no," Gershon said, smiling. "Martin
and I have a
long history. We don't much care for each other. On
the rare occasions we find ourselves in the same
location, I'm afraid we tend to spit."
..................................................................................................
She passed her the next piece of paper.
"This is the crew manifest submitted to the FAA
with the flight plan, on the date of departure of Flight
545."
John Zhen Chang, Captain 5/7/51 M
Leu Zan Ping, First Officer 3/11/59 M
Richard Yong, First Officer 9/9/61 M
Gerhard Reimann, First Officer 7/23/49 M
Thomas Chang, First Officer 6/29/70 M
Henri Marchand, Engineer 4/25/69 M
Robert Sheng, Engineer 6/13/62 M
Malone glanced at it, pushed it aside. "And this
is the crew manifest we got from Transpacific the day
after the incident."
JOHN ZHEN CHANG, CAPTAIN 5/7/51
LEU ZAN PING, FIRST OFFICER 3/11/59
RICHARD YONG, FIRST OFFICER 9/9/61
GERHARD REIMANN, FIRST OFFICER 7/23/49
HENRI MARCHAND, ENGINEER 4/25/69
THOMAS CHANG, ENGINEER 6/29/70
ROBERT SHENG, ENGINEER 6/13/62
Malone scanned it, shrugged "It's the same."
"No, it's not. In one, Thomas Chang is listed as
a first officer. In the second list, he appears as an
engineer."
Malone said, "A clerical error."
Casey shook her head. "No."
She passed another sheet.
"This is a page from the Transpacific in-flight
magazine, showing Captain John Chang and his family. It
was sent to us by a Transpacific flight attendant, who
wanted us to know the real story. You will notice
his children are Erica and Thomas Chang. Thomas Chang
is the pilot's son. He was among the flight crew
of Flight 545."
Malone frowned.
"The Changs are a family of pilots. Thomas Chang
is a pilot, qualified on several commuter aircraft. He is
not type certified to fly the N-22."
"I don't believe this," Malone said.
"At the time of the incident," Casey
continued "the captain, John Chang, had left the cockpit and walked
to the back of the plane for coffee. He was aft when
the accident occurred, and severely injured. He
underwent brain surgery in Vancouver two days ago. The
hospital thought it was the first officer, but his
identity has now been confirmed as John Zhen
Chang."
Malone was shaking her head
Casey handed her a memo:
FROM: S. NIETO, FSR VANC
TO: C. SINGLETON, YUMA TEST FAC
HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL
AUTHORITIES NOW CONFIRM THE POSTMORTEM IDENTIFICATION
OF INJURED CREW
MEMBER IN VANCOUVER HOSPITAL AS JOHN ZHEN CHANG THE
CAPTAIN OF
TRANSPACIFIC FLIGHT 545.
"Chang wasn't in the cockpit," Casey said.
"He was in the back of the plane. His hat was found mere. So
someone else was in the captain's chair, when the
incident occurred."
Casey turned on the television, started the tape.
"These are the concluding moments of the videotape
which you obtained from the receptionist. You see the
camera falling toward the front of the plane, and
twisting to eventually lodge in the cockpit door. But
before it does ... here!" She froze the frame. "You
can see the flight deck."
"I can't see much," Malone said.
"They're both looking away."
"You can see that the pilot has extremely short
hair," Casey said. "Look at the picture. Thomas Chang has
close-cropped hair."
Malone was shaking her head, strongly now. "I
just don't believe this. That visual is not good enough, you
have a three-quarter profile, it doesn't identify, it
doesn't say anything."
"Thomas Chang has a small stud in his ear. You
can see it in this magazine photo. And on the video, you
can see the same stud catch the light, right
there."
Malone was silent.
Casey pushed another piece of paper across to her.
"This is a translation of the Chinese voice
communications in the cockpit as recorded on the tape you
have. A great deal of it is unintelligible because of
the cockpit alarms. But the relevant passage is marked
for you."
0544:59 ALM stall stall stall
0545:00 F/O what (unintelligible) you
0545:01 CPTN am (unintelligible) correct the
0545:02 ALM stall stall stall
0545:03 F/O torn release die (unintelligible)
0545:04 CPTN what do (unintelligible) it
0545:11 F/O tommy (unintelligible) when
(unintelligible) must (unintelligible) the
Casey took the paper back. "That's not for you to
keep, or refer to publicly. But it corroborates the
videotape in your possession."
Malone said, in a stunned voice, "He let his kid
fly the plane?"
"Yes," Casey said. "John Chang
permitted a pilot who was not type certified to fly the N-22. As a result,
fifty-six people were injured and four people
died—including John Chang himself. We believe that the
aircraft was on autopilot, and Chang left his son
momentarily in charge of the flight. That was when the
disagree warning occurred, and the son extended the
slats to clear it But the son panicked, overcorrected,
and porpoised. Eventually we believe Thomas Chang was
knocked unconscious by the severe movements
of the airplane, and the autopilot took over."
Malone said, "On a commercial flight, some guy
lets his fucking kid fly the plane?"
"Yes," Casey said.
"That's the story?'
"Yes," Casey said. "And you have the
tape in your possession that proves it. Therefore you are aware of
the facts. Mr. Reardon stated on camera that both he
and his colleagues in New York have watched the
tape in its entirety. So you have seen this shot of
the cockpit. I have now informed you what that shot
represents. We have provided you with corroborating
evidence—not all the evidence, there's more. We
have also demonstrated in flight test that there is
nothing wrong with the aircraft itself."
"Not everyone agrees..." she began.
"This is no longer a matter of opinion, Ms.
Malone. It is a matter of fact. You are undeniably in
possession of the facts. If Newsline does not report
these facts, which you are now aware of, and if it
makes any suggestion whatsoever that there is anything
wrong with the N-22 aircraft based on this
incident, we will sue you for reckless disregard and
malicious intent. Ed Fuller is very conservative, but
he thinks we will certainly win. Because you acquired
the tape that proves our case. Now, would you
like Mr. Fuller to call Mr. Shenk and explain the
situation, or would you prefer to do it yourself?"
Malone said nothing.
"Ms. Malone?"
"Where's a phone?" she said.
"There's one in the corner."
Malone got up, and walked over to the phone. Casey
headed for the door.
"Jesus Christ," Malone said, shaking her
head. "The guy lets his kid fly a plane full of people? I mean,how can that happen?"
Casey shrugged. "He loves his son. We believe
he's allowed him to fly on other occasions. But there's a reason why commercial pilots are required to train
extensively on specific equipment, to be type certified.
He didn't know what he was doing, and he got
caught." Casey closed the door, and thought: And so did you.
......................................................................................................
5TH STORY of Level 1 printed in
FULL format
COPYRIGHT TELEGRAPH-STAR, INC.
HEADLINE: NORTON SELLS 50 WIDEBODY
JETS TO CHINA
TAILS TO BE MANUFACTURED IN SHANGHAI
CASH FLOW AIDS DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE
JET. UNION LEADERS CRITICIZE LOSS OF
JOBS.
BYLINE: JACK ROGERS
BODY:
Norton Aircraft today announced an
eight-billion-dollar sale of fifty N-22 widebody jets to the People's
Republic of China. Norton President Harold Edgarton
said the agreement signed yesterday in Beijing
calls for delivery of the jets over the next four
years. The agreement also offsets fabrication work to
China, requiring the N-22 tails to be constructed in
Shanghai.
The sale represents a coup for the beleaguered Burbank
manufacturer, and a bitter defeat for Airbus,
which had lobbied heavily, both in Beijing and
Washington, for the sale. Edgarton said the fifty Chinese
jets, combined with the further sale of twelve N-22s
to Transpacific Airlines, will give Norton the cash
flow it needs to continue development of the N-XX
widebody, its hope for the twenty-first century.
News of the offset agreement produced anger in some
quarters of the Burbank company. UAW Local
1214 President Don Brull criticized the offset
agreement, noting, "We're losing thousands of jobs every
year. Norton is exporting the jobs of American workers
in order to make foreign sales. I don't think that's
good for our future."
When asked about the alleged job loss, Edgarton stated
that "offsets are a fact of life in our industry, and
have been for many years. The fact is, if we don't
make the agreement, Boeing or Airbus will. I think it is
important to look to the future, and the new jobs that
will be created by the N-XX widebody line."
Edgarton also noted that China had signed an option
for thirty additional jets. The Shanghai factory will
begin its work in January of next year.
News of the sale ends industry speculation that
much-publicized recent incidents involving the N-22
might terminate the Chinese purchase. Edgarton noted,
"The N-22 is a proven aircraft with an excellent
safety record. I think the Chinese sale is a tribute
to that record."
DOCUMENT ID; C\LEX 40\DL\NORTON
TRANSPACIFIC BUYS NORTON JETS
Transpacific Airlines, the Hong Kong-based carrier,
today ordered twelve Norton N-22 widebody jets,
giving further proof that the Asian market is the
growth segment for the aircraft industry.
EXPERT WITNESS BITES HAND THAT DIDN'T FEED HIM
Controversial aviation expert Frederick
"Fred" Barker sued Bradley King for failing to pay promised
"holding fees" for his anticipated courtroom
appearances. King could not be reached for comment.
AIRBUS CONSIDERS KOREAN PARTNERSHIP Songking
Industries, the industrial conglomerate
based in Seoul, has announced they are negotiating
with Airbus Industrie of Toulouse to manufacture
major subassembly components of the new A-340B stretch
derivative. Recent speculation has centered on
Songking's continuing efforts to establish an
aerospace presence in world markets, now that long-rumored
secret negotiations with Norton Aircraft in Burbank
have apparently broken down.
SHENK TO BE HONORED AT HUMANITARIAN FETE
Richard Shenk, producer of "Newsline, " has
been named Humanitarian Producer of the Year by the
American Interfaith Council. The Council promotes
"humane understanding among the peoples of the
world" in contemporary media. Shenk, cited for
his "outstanding life-long commitment to tolerance, " will
be honored at a banquet on June 10 at the Waldorf
Astoria. A star-studded industry audience is expected
to turn out.
JAA CERTIFIES N-22 WIDEBODY The JAA today accepted
certification of the Norton N-22 widebody
commercial aircraft. A JAA spokesman said there was
"no substance" to rumors that certification had
been delayed for political reasons.
MARDER TAKES CONSULTING POST In a surprise move, John
Marder, 46, has left Norton Aircraft
to head The Aviation Institute, an aerospace
consulting firm with close ties to European carriers. Marder
assumes his new position effective immediately.
Coworkers at Norton praised the departing Marder as "a
leader of deep integrity."
U.S. JOBS EXPORTED—A DISTURBING TREND?
Responding to the recent sale of fifty Norton jets to
China, William Campbell claimed that American
aviation companies will export 250,000 jobs over the
next five years. Since much of this export is
financed by the Commerce Department's Ex-Im Bank, he
says, "It's unconscionable. U.S. workers aren't
paying taxes to have the government assist American
companies to take away American jobs.* Campbell
cites the Japanese corporate concern for their workers
as strikingly different from the behavior of
American multinationals.
RICHMAN ARRESTED IN SINGAPORE A youthful member of the
Norton clan was arrested today by
police in Singapore on charges of narcotics
possession. Bob Richman, 28, is being held by authorities
awaiting arraignment. If convicted under the nation's
draconian drug laws, he faces the death penalty.
SINGLETON HEADS DIVISION Harold Edgarton today, named
Katherine C. Singleton as the new head
of Norton Aircraft's Media Relations Division.
Singleton was formerly a vice-president for Quality
Assurance at Norton, which is headquartered in
Burbank.
MALONE TO JOIN "HARD COPY" STAFF Veteran
news producer Jennifer Ma-lone, 29, ends four
years with "Newsline" to join the staff of
"Hard Copy," it was announced today. Malone 's departure was
described as resulting from a contract dispute. Malone
said, "'Hard Copy' is what's happening now, and I
am just thrilled to be part of it."
AIRCRAFT INCIDENT REPORT
PRIVILEGED INFORMATION —FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
REPORT No: IRT-96-42 TODAY'S DATE: 18 April
MODEL: N-22 INCIDENT DATE: 08 April
OPERATOR: Transpacific FUSELAGE No: 271
REPORTED BY: R. Rakoski, LOCATION: Pacific Ocean
REFERENCE: a) AVN-SVC-08764/AAC
SUBJECT: Severe Pitch Oscillations in Flight
DESCRIPTION OF EVENT:
Reportedly during cruise flight a "Slats
Disagree" warning appeared on the flight deck, and a member of
the flight crew extended the slats in an attempt to
clear the warning. Subsequently the aircraft experienced
severe pitch oscillations and lost 6,000 feet altitude
before control was returned to the autopilot. Four
persons died, and fifty-six were injured.
ACTION TAKEN: Inspection of the aircraft revealed the
following damage:
1. The interior cabin sustained substantial damage.
2. The Number 2 IB slats proximity sensor was faulty.
3. The Number 2 slats locking pin was found to be
non-PMA.
4. The Number 1 engine thruster panel was found to be
non-PMA.
5. Several other non-PMA parts were identified for
replacement
Review of human factors revealed the following:
1. Flight deck procedures require added carrier
scrutiny.
2. Foreign repair procedures require added carrier
scrutiny.
The aircraft is in the process of being repaired.
Internal procedures are being reviewed by the carrier.
David Levine
Technical Integration
Product Support
Norton Aircraft Company
Burbank, CA