NTSB wants change in Airbus manual

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal safety investigators want airlines to change flight manuals for the Airbus A300 jetliner to prevent accidents like one last November that killed a flight attendant during an emergency evacuation of a plane at Miami International Airport.

The flight attendant was forcibly ejected from the plane when the door of the pressurized cabin blew open. Three other passengers suffered serious injuries and numerous others sustained minor injuries.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the incident occurred on American Airlines flight 1291, which departed Miami for Port Au Prince, Haiti. About eight minutes into the flight, the pilot noticed problems with the plane's pressurization system and took over manual control of it to began performing items on a pressurization checklist.

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But, according to the NTSB, the pilot did not perform all of the items on the checklist "because of his other priorities at the time," including landing the plane and addressing lavatory smoke detectors that went off continuously.

Upon landing, a flight attendant assisting in the plane's evacuation tried with difficulty to open the plane. The door suddenly burst open, ejecting the man and killing him.

"Preliminary findings from the investigation revealed that excess air pressure inside the cabin caused the door to burst open," the NTSB said.

After the accident, the plane's pilots said they were not aware that the airplane would not automatically depressurize after landing when the pressurization system was being operated manually.

Both the Airbus and American Airlines flight manuals fail to address the issue, the NTSB said.

The NTSB this week asked the Federal Aviation Administration to require changes to manuals to ensure that pilots know the Airbus A300-600 does not automatically depressurize upon landing when in the manual mode. The FAA has 90 days to respond to the recommendations.

The investigation into the Miami accident is continuing.

Flight attendant killed, four others injured after emergency landing
November 20, 2000
U.S. government orders Airbus checks
December 5, 1998

National Transportation Safety Board
Federal Aviation Administration
Airbus
American Airlines

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