Air France Pilots Demand New Airspeed Measuring Equipment

Air Frances’ top pilots’ union have demanded yesterday that airspeed indicators be replaced by US-made models across the aircraft fleet as new malfunctions were detected this month.

The speed probes, known as pitot tubes, are manufactured by European electronics giant Thales, and recently malfunctioned when an Airbus A320 was flying from Rome to Paris on July 13.

The pilots’ union, SNPL, demanded that the airspeed monitors be replaced by pitot tubes made by US-based Goodrich, which provides pitot tubes to 70 percent of the worlds airlines.

It was decided that Air France would upgrade all pitot tubes after pilots issued concern following the crash of flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean killing all 228 passengers on board, the airline’s worst disaster in its 75-year history
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The union said the Goodrich models’ record showed it had been problem-free.

“We are asking that the fleet be modified with sensors that have not been the object of any complaint,” said union spokesman Erick Derivry.

The SNPL “wants the entire fleet to be equipped with Goodrich models that would replace the Thales sensors,” he said.

Air France said the malfunction of the probes on the Rome to Paris flight “lasted only a few seconds” and did not jeopardize the safety of the passengers.

But French air safety officials are investigating the incident.

French investigators have said that the faulty speed monitors were a factor but not the cause of the June 1 crash of the Airbus that was flying through heavy turbulence on a flight from Rio to Paris.

Speculation has focused on the speed sensors, which fed inconsistent readings to the cockpit just before the plane went down.

The pilots’ union spokesman said that the latest problem onboard an Airbus jetliner showed there was a “body of elements showing that this incident was similar to other incidents and to the accident involving Flight 447.”

Thanks to The Age.  For more information visit theage.com.au