Trading blame for jet crash

last updated 8 January 2015

Washington, D.C.

American Airlines and Airbus blamed each other last week for a November 2001 crash in New York City that killed 265 people. During National Transportation Safety Board hearings, Airbus officials said American trained pilots to sharply turn a tail rudder to counter turbulence, a maneuver that could have caused American Airlines Flight 587’s tail to snap off. American executives said Airbus should have warned of the danger. Investigators avoided pointing fingers, but confirmed that rudder movement probably broke the tail and caused the crash. Cockpit recordings indicate that the plane began shaking and roaring after co-pilot Sten Molin turned the rudder back and forth in turbulence. “What the hell are we into?” Molin asked. “Get out of it!” the captain replied. Two seconds later, the airliner slammed into a neighborhood in Queens.