11 SEPTEMBER 1991

CONCORDE LOSES RUDDER

 A British Airways Concorde flying at over 2,250kph (1,400 mph) with 49 passengers aboard lost part of its rudder while flying to New York. A report in the Times on Wednesday, quoting air accident investigators, said that the crew felt an engine surge and an unusual vibration as they flew at 17,000 metres (56,000 feet).
The failure, which happened in January, is the second in two years to affect Concorde.

Tests conducted at Farnborough materials and structures department have shown that the bond between the outer skin and the internal honeycomb structure of the tail and rudder failed. It was discovered that the adhesive used to bond the skin was Redux 322 instead of AF130 which had been specified by the aircraft designers.
Paint stripper was then used to clean the aircraft skin and this is suspected of seeping into the internal structure through gaps in the trailing edge of the rudder and through unfilled hollow rivets.

At Farnborough tests revealed that Redux 322 adhesive peeled and bubbled when exposed to paint stripper. A sheet of cured adhesive was found to disintegrate after being immersed in paint stripper for two hours.
BA has ordered aditional checks on Concorde aircraft from now on.

Sources: The Times (London)