Here is a newsclip from A.A., emphasis mine.
Delam in a carbon fiber composite, not at or near the surface, is not
normally detectable visually.
Blake
http://www.amrcorp.com/news/november01/19_a300.htm
FOR RELEASE: Monday, Nov. 19, 2001
AMERICAN AIRLINES COMPLETES A300 INSPECTIONS
FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines today announced that an inspection
of its entire fleet
of A300s found no problems with the tail section of the aircraft.
On Thursday, after the National Transportation Safety Board
investigators last week narrowed
their focus to that section of the plane, the company voluntarily began
a precautionary
inspection of all 34 of its A300 aircraft. The next day, the Federal
Aviation Administration
mandated the inspection for all U.S. A300 and A310 aircraft. (American
does not operate the
A310 model.)
American formed specialized teams that included mechanics, engineers,
production supervisors
and technical crew chiefs to perform a visual inspection of the tail
section of the A300s. Since
the inspections were initiated as a precaution, with no previous
indication of a widespread
problem with the tail section of the aircraft, the company?s examination
focused on all
attachments from the rudder to the stabilizer and from the stabilizer to
the fuselage.
You won't get me to go up in one of those crates.
Paul Lamar
I second that motion. Remember, I regularly trust my butt to composites,
but *I* built mine.
Bill Freeman
Long EZ builder & pilot
BSME, MSME
EAA Technical Counselor
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