Airbus crash puts New York back on
alert
By janes.com editor Peter Felstead
Despite no evidence of terrorism being a factor of the crash of an Airbus A300 in the Queens district of New York today, the city nevertheless went into a high state of alert due to the events of 11 September.
Flight 587, an American Airlines A300 bound for the Dominican Republic, crashed in the Rockaways neighbourhood of Queens at 09.15hrs local time after taking off from JFK at 08.38hrs. The airliner was carrying 246 passengers and a crew of nine; casualties are also expected on the ground.
Immediately following the crash, all four main airports – as well as all bridges and tunnels – in the New York Metropolitan area were closed, and F-15 fighter aircraft could be seen circling the city’s airspace. It was subsequently stated, however, that these closures were of a limited duration.
While the cause of the crash could not immediately be determined, eyewitnesses had apparently claimed to see an engine explode and fall to the ground separately from the main body of the airliner. This corresponds with reports at the scene that fires had broken out in more than one area of the Rockaways neighbourhood. While FBI investigators were soon at the scene of the crash, the lead investigating agency of the crash will be the National Transportation Safety Board. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleisher stated at a press briefing that “no unusual communications with the cockpit” had been received by air traffic controllers prior to the crash.
Speaking near the location of the crash, New York’s outgoing mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, spoke of the Rockaways neighbourhood already having suffered significantly as a result of the 11 September suicide terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Many local residents – some said 90 – had worked in the Twin Towers or been part of the emergency services that rushed to the scene, and Mayor Giuliani said he had personally attended at least 20 funerals in the Rockaways as a result of the attacks.
American Airlines operates 34 other A300-600 series Airbuses, which have been the main A300 version in service worldwide since 1984. Discussion of safety records is somewhat redundant, since any problems that are found with modern airliners are fixed to preclude them ever re-occurring. The A300, however, has no history of crashes related to separating engines and is considered an exceptionally safe aeroplane.
By janes.com editor Peter Felstead
Despite no evidence of terrorism being a factor of the crash of an Airbus A300 in the Queens district of New York today, the city nevertheless went into a high state of alert due to the events of 11 September.
Flight 587, an American Airlines A300 bound for the Dominican Republic, crashed in the Rockaways neighbourhood of Queens at 09.15hrs local time after taking off from JFK at 08.38hrs. The airliner was carrying 246 passengers and a crew of nine; casualties are also expected on the ground.
Immediately following the crash, all four main airports – as well as all bridges and tunnels – in the New York Metropolitan area were closed, and F-15 fighter aircraft could be seen circling the city’s airspace. It was subsequently stated, however, that these closures were of a limited duration.
While the cause of the crash could not immediately be determined, eyewitnesses had apparently claimed to see an engine explode and fall to the ground separately from the main body of the airliner. This corresponds with reports at the scene that fires had broken out in more than one area of the Rockaways neighbourhood. While FBI investigators were soon at the scene of the crash, the lead investigating agency of the crash will be the National Transportation Safety Board. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleisher stated at a press briefing that “no unusual communications with the cockpit” had been received by air traffic controllers prior to the crash.
Speaking near the location of the crash, New York’s outgoing mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, spoke of the Rockaways neighbourhood already having suffered significantly as a result of the 11 September suicide terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Many local residents – some said 90 – had worked in the Twin Towers or been part of the emergency services that rushed to the scene, and Mayor Giuliani said he had personally attended at least 20 funerals in the Rockaways as a result of the attacks.
American Airlines operates 34 other A300-600 series Airbuses, which have been the main A300 version in service worldwide since 1984. Discussion of safety records is somewhat redundant, since any problems that are found with modern airliners are fixed to preclude them ever re-occurring. The A300, however, has no history of crashes related to separating engines and is considered an exceptionally safe aeroplane.
