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Tail Failure Forces Jet Back to San Jose / Same model as fatal Alaska Air flight Source: The San Francisco Chronicle Publication date: 2000-07-18

An American Airlines jet made an emergency landing in San Jose yesterday because of a malfunction with its horizontal stabilizer, the same system suspected of failing on Alaska Airlines Flight 261. The twin-engine MD-80, with 125 passengers and five crew aboard, returned safely to San Jose International Airport at 7:38 a.m., less than 10 minutes after the plane took off for Austin, Texas.

It taxied back to the terminal, where passengers on Flight 1810 exited at the gate and were placed on other flights, airport spokesman Rich Dressler said.

An inspection revealed a problem with the plane's trim motor, which controls the movement of the horizontal stabilizer on the jet's tail, airline officials said. The plane will be checked by mechanics.

The plane is the same model as the Alaska Airlines jet that crashed in January off the Southern California coast, killing all 88 people aboard. The Flight 261 crash investigation has focused on the failure of the jackscrew, a key part of the plane's horizontal stabilizer.

The failure on board the American jet yesterday bore similarities to problems on board another American MD-80 just two days after the Alaska crash.

On February 2, American Airlines Flight 1538 bound for Dallas returned to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after the crew reported a stabilizer trim problem at 13,000 feet. An investigation determined that an electrical switch on the trim had shorted, preventing the pilots from controlling the trim motor, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

Also yesterday, an American MD-80 bound for Orlando was forced to return to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport because of smoke in the cockpit.

As a result of the crash of Flight 261, the FAA ordered all airlines flying MD-80-series planes and those of similar design to check the stabilizer assembly for problems. American, which flies 284 MD-80s and MD-90 aircraft, found that an MD-90 the company purchased during a takeover of Reno Air had an inadequately lubricated jackscrew.

Also in response to the Flight 261 crash, the FAA audited Alaska's maintenance programs and threatened to strip the airline of the authority to maintain its fleet. But the FAA later backed down, saying the beleaguered airline was making major changes in its repair operations.

The agency also said it would conduct special safety inspections of the nine other major airlines in the United States, including American Airlines. FAA inspectors will begin reviewing the airline on August 8.

http://realcities.newsreal.com/pages/realcities/Story.nsp?story_id=12107619&site=charlotte&ID=realcities&scategory=Business+and+Finance

-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), July 18, 2000