Bombardier Pronounced Q400 Vindicated

Citing the latest findings from a Danish Accident Investigation Board into the Q400 problems experienced by SAS, Bombardier pronounced its popular turboprop vindicated after the preliminary accident investigation report revealed debris – a piece of rubber – was stuck in the right main landing gear preventing it from deploying. The problem resulted in a masterful crash landing by SAS pilots. Related Story  The news may change the emergency nature of Bombardier’s meeting with European civil aviation authorities today.
Despite the citation of its own maintenance practices by Danish authorities, SAS appears to be standing by its decision to permanently spin its 27 Q400s out of its fleet. The authorities cited a maintenance error in which an O-ring lodged in the landing-gear actuator creating a blockage in the most recent incident.
Should maintenance be the cause of the two accidents that occurred in September then SAS’s $77 million claim against the Canadian manufacturer will not likely be sustained. However, Danish authorities are still investigating the root cause of the corrosion found on the inside the actuator pistons. Despite a worldwide grounding of the 160 aircraft in operation, thus far, the corrosion finding has not been duplicated at other airlines. For a complete report see next week's issue of Regional Aviation News.