Rudder Caused Crash of 737
June 13, 2001
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials have revised their findings regarding the Colorado crash of a United Airlines Boeing 737. The 1991 crash killed all 25 people aboard, but the NTSB could not identify its cause in its initial report. The initial report on United Flight 585 was released in 1993. In that report, NTSB officials could not pinpoint the cause of the accident but assumed it was caused by either "unusually severe weather" or a problem with the plane's control system. However, following two similar 737 crashes, the NTSB issued a report blaming all three accidents on a malfunction of the rudder system.
A revised report on United Flight 585 cites the rudder system as the probable cause of the accident, explaining that, since the malfunction occurred close to the ground, the pilots did not have time to react. The NTSB investigation of Flight 585 has since been closed for a second time.
In light of these accidents, Boeing redesigned its 737s and retrofitted its older planes in an attempt to prevent the problem from occurring again.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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