The first in-flight failure of a primary structural component made from composite material on a commercial airplane led to the crash of American Airlines Flight 587. As part of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the accident, the composite materials of the vertical stabilizer were tested, microstructure was analyzed, and fractured composite lugs that attached the vertical stabilizer to the aircraft tail were examined. In this paper the materials testing and analysis is presented, composite fractures are described, and the resulting clues to the failure events are discussed.


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    Title :

    Materials Examination of the Vertical Stabilizer from American Airlines Flight 587


    Contributors:
    M. R. Fox (author) / C. R. Schultheisz (author) / J. R. Reeder (author) / B. J. Jensen (author)

    Publication date :

    2005


    Size :

    15 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




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