Airbus may have to replace rivets in A380: EASA

Frankfurt: Plane maker Airbus, already forced to fix cracks in the wings of some of its A380 superjumbo jets, sought to play down news on Friday that it might now have to replace rivets in the fuselage.
The European Aviation Safety Agency is considering issuing an "airworthiness directive" ordering Airbus to replace six aluminium rivets in the fuselage of the A380 with much stronger titanium fasteners, according to a document posted on the EASA's website.
In a "notification of a proposal" to issue such a directive, EASA said that an engineering review had shown that while the rivets would survive so-called limit load -- which takes into account the maximum stresses likely to be experienced during flight -- they "may not support the ultimate load".
That refers to conditions beyond those normally encountered in the lifetime of an aircraft.
"This condition, if not corrected, could lead to in-flight loss of the radome (antenna dome) in case of rapid decompression and could adversely affect the structural integrity of the airplane," EASA said.
17/02/12 Economic Times

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Categories: Foreign Feb 2012, Safety Feb 2012