According to the most recent issue of US News & World Report, the horizontal stabilizer in Alaskan Air Flight #261 crash was made in China. Quoting Boeing spokesman John Thom, "We are aware of no quality problems whatsoever with the Chinese parts."

FWIW, most of the tools and machinery made in China that we've seen leaves a lot to be desired.

-- Lurkess (Lurkess@Lurking.XNet), February 15, 2000

Answers

Also wanted to mention, that although I can't reference the news site I read it on a few days ago, it was reported that the jackscrew was made in the 70's! It was certified to be put in the crashed Alaskan Air plane. It did not say where it was made or if it was used or refurbished.

The plane, as I recall from the article, was made in the early 90's.

Thought this would be covered in most of the Flight #261 stories, but haven't seen or heard it anywhere else. Perhaps it was, but I just missed it.

-- Lurkess (Lurkess@Lurking.XNet), February 15, 2000.

Please read the book, "Airframe", by Michael Crichton. You'll gain a bit of insight about the politics of aircraft manufacturing.

-- Nom (nom@de.plume), February 15, 2000.

Nom,

Your're absolutely correct. I finished Airframe about two weeks before Flight 261 went down. It changed my whole outlook on plane crash investigations. I would recommend it to everyone.

Bookworm

-- Bookworm (Bookworm_2@hotmail.com), February 15, 2000.

Taiwanese Import and Salvage,Home of the Walmart Junk.

-- Victim (Hosed@Wal.mart), February 15, 2000.

Can you say "embedded chip sabotoogeee"

-- confucious (ah@yes.grasshopper), February 15, 2000.

Lurkess, I can verify I also saw that some airplane parts are made in China and that the stabilizer on Flt 261 was supposed to have been manufactured in 1979. However, would airplane manufacturers have been buying parts from China in the 1970's?

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), February 15, 2000.

A bit more info.

The inspection order from Boeing as quoted by CNN

(What they were looking for) according to the five-point inspection recommended by Boeing in an electronic bulletin includes:

- Checking the horizontal stabilizer trim jackscrew and nut for wear.

- Testing the trim indicating system and shutoff controls.

- Inspecting the lubrication of the jackscrew assembly.

- Checking the general condition of the mechanical stops in the trim assembly.

- Checking the general condition of the jackscrew assembly.

So they appear to have been worried about both the indicators (electronic sensors?) and controls as well as the mechanical stops. These sensors would presumably interact with the autopilot to relay the info that it needed to know when to stop.

CNN

What has been found, so far:

Airborne Express -- 2 planes: 2 jackscrews lacked lubricant.

AirTran -- 3 planes: 2 had grit in jackscrew grease, 1 failed movement test.

Alaska Airlines -- 8 planes: 4 jackscrews replaced, others under evaluation.

American Airlines -- 1 plane: 1 jackscrew lacked lubricant.

Continental -- 1 plane: Grit in jackscrew grease.

Delta Air Lines -- 4 planes: 1 jackscrew replaced, 1 re-lubricated, 2 being evaluated.

Hawaiian Airlines -- 2 planes: 2 had shavings in grease, both jackscrews replaced.

Northwest Airlines -- 1 plane: Grit found in grease, jackscrew replaced.

TWA -- 1 plane: Metal shavings found, jackscrew replaced.

This does not say the results of their inspection of the other parts of the Boeing directive, nor whether that part of the inspection has been completed yet.

Link to article about non-US parts

FAA: Non-U.S. plane parts may be an issue

(FAA's)Garvey also responded to a U.S. News and World Report article that said Flight 261's horizontal stabilizer was made in China and that quoted a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers as saying FAA oversight of non-U.S. parts manufacturers is inadequate.

Garvey said that the international organization that oversees aviation manufacturing "has some very high standards."

But she added, "I think that's going to be an issue that the NTSB will look at, and we may make some changes."

Boeing spokesman John Thom said Sunday that the manufacturer of the part used on Flight 261 had not yet been determined.

No matter where the parts are built, they meet the same stringent specifications, Thom said. "We insist on that. We'd be stupid if we didn't."

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), February 15, 2000.

Now we are really on to something. Take a break from the Y2K BS and sink your teeth into a very real and definable problem: After-market aircraft parts and components. This very confined little industry has been under some scrutiny lately but for the most part has avoided being put under the microscope. Just wait until these rocks get overturned and see what crawls out. You would not believe the quality of some vendors and the outrageous profits made on substandard goods. The mindset seems to be that the aviation milspec standards are so far above required levels that cheating down wont hurt anybody. How often (service hours) are the jackscrew/gimbal nut assemblys replaced? Where do the airlines buy these from? I personally know someone that has been selling parts like this to the major airlines for over 20 years, Out of his garage. This little industry would make for great press and we could see some interesting stories in the near future.

-- Sifting (through@the.rubble), February 15, 2000.

Also, in a post above there was a quote from a Boeing spokesman:

No matter where the parts are built, they meet the same stringent specifications, Thom said. "We insist on that. We'd be stupid if we didn't."

The onus is always on the supplier to meet specs but do they? Do you think Boeing or any of the airlines test every part and component they purchase? How many of the grade 8 engine mount bolts in service are actually up to specs? How many of the JS/GN assemblys are substandard?

-- Sifting (through@the.rubble), February 15, 2000.

A few answers:

The indicator devices are would likely be limit switches at the ends of the travel distance and possibly a follow-up variable resistor for indicator drive. Simple electrical devices, not a Y2K hazard.

The stabilizer is one of the parts built under an agreement with China from the late eighties. They started with parts like the stabilizer, then they moved on up to fuselage sections. Now they're building entire airplanes over there for domestic use in China from almost all Chinese-made parts.

As far as counterfeit parts, there was a rash of fake Grade-8 fasteners that got loose a few years back. I don't know how many got loose into the aviation sector, but the industrial, automotive and aftermarket users were hit hard. there were aircraft inspections but I don't recall that many turning up.

But I do wonder how many hotrodders broke an "unbreakable" bolt on their project cars?

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), February 15, 2000.

Sifting, I seem to recall a "60 Minutes" segment a few years ago covering used airplane parts that were being refurbed (sometimes only re-painted) and returned into service. However, many of these parts were only supposed to be in service for a specific number of hours. These types of refurbing shops were often operating out of small garages just as you mentioned. Apparently there is BIG money in doing this.

Now there are foreign sourced parts. Also mentioned in the US News & World Report magazine article was the fact that the DC-9 ValueJet plane that crashed in the Florida Everglades in l995 had a replacement part from Turkey. Investigators blamed that part for the engine's exploding on takeoff.

Nom & Bookworm, thanks for the book recommendation. Don't usually read novels, I'm an avid non-fiction reader, but will put "Airframe" on my "to read" list.

-- Lurkess (Lurkess@Lurking.XNet), February 15, 2000.

Lurkess,

I would like to thank you for starting a thread that is on the way to rationally dealing with this subject. I would agree with the general direction here that the quality of A/C parts should be most suspect and examined under more stringent guidelines. The testing procedures for components such as the jackscrew and gimbal nut must be extensive. It is safe to assume that these are probably randomly tested and once you get into the refurbished market, who knows? My background in aviation is fairly broad but not current. There must be a real industry expert on this forum that would be willing to offer some valid input. Please, Three Stooges need not apply.

-- Ra (tion@l.1), February 15, 2000.

I saw a TV doc a few years back about problems with *fake* parts. These were either used parts, or parts manufactured overseas *without* the blessing of the aircraft company, that were then sold on as new parts from the aircraft company by packing them with faked or recycled paperwork and packaging from genuine parts. Some of these fake parts came nowhere near the necessary specifications and represented a serious hazard to the flying public.

I remember an airline spokesman saying that such parts had been implicated in several expensive and dangerous engine failures, and that the problem wasn't restricted to dodgy airlines ... it was that there was no way for a service engineer to tell the difference between a fake part and a genuine one. The program ended with the allegation, from a person unwilling to reveal his identity, that organised crime was behind this trade, and with the reporter saying that if this trade was not stamped out, it was only a matter of time before a plane crash.

-- Nigel (nra@maxwell.ph.kcl.ac.uk), February 16, 2000.

Doesn't suprise me, considering the LOUSY quality of products from China. Considering that the parts are made by slaves, and sold by a govt that intends to fight the US, what else do you expect?

Buy products made by slaves, and sold by Communists who hate the US, and you get what you pay for.

-- Bill (billclo@blazenet.net), February 16, 2000.

Now you know why the Corporate and Business World are constantly harping about *too much Government,Privatisation,Global Economy*and other Buzzwords.The hidden Agenda is: Unregulated,unsupervised,hard to track and convict Criminal Activety,such as what is pointed out here.Our Tax Load could very likely be reduced by 30%,if we did not have to keep an Eye on these Operators.Self Regulation,voluntary Compliance,Privatisation can do it cheaper and better?PURE HOGWASH.

-- Cruz (Go@get.'em), February 16, 2000.

Boe ing Suppliers

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), February 17, 2000.