Air safety inspectors have begun checking all Airbus A320-200 jets registered to Indonesian airlines after the release of a report into last year’s deadly AirAsia crash.
The report said the plane’s rudder travel limiter unit (RTLU) was faulty which led to the jet crashing into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people on board on December 28, 2014.
There are 75 A320-200 aircraft operated by three Indonesian airlines – Batik Air, AirAsia Indonesia and national carrier Garuda, which are scheduled to be checked by inspectors.
Transport Ministry director of airworthiness and aircraft operations, Mr Mohammad Alwi said a team of 18 inspectors will assess all the aircraft after analysing all maintenance records.
Alwi said inspectors’ attention will focus on the RTLU, which controls the aircraft rudder.
"Like a medical doctor, we will check the medical records first, going back three months or six months, before conducting a physical check on the trouble points."
"Our inspectors will physically check the RTLU. We will open the panel even if the records do not indicate any problem," he said.
Last week’s crash report questioned maintenance standards at AirAsia, after revealing the RTLU had been reported faulty 23 times in the previous 12 months.
Due to the fault, the plane went into an ‘upset condition’ which the pilots could not recover from as they were not trained for this scenario.
"The ministry will also increase inspections on how airlines implement flight crew training that is consistent with the official operating manuals," said Suprasetyo, director-general for air transport.
