Airbus Announcement - AMERICAN AIRLINES Flight 587 accident IN NEW YORK

Airbus regrets to confirm that an A300-600 operated by American Airlines was involved in an accident at around 09:15 (local time) shortly after take-off from New York’s JFK airport. The aircraft was operating a scheduled service, Flight 587, from New York, JFK to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. According to American Airlines, the preliminary passenger list indicated that there were 246 passengers and nine crew on board.

The aircraft involved in the accident, registered under the number N14053, was MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 420, delivered to American Airlines from the production line in July 1988. It was powered by General Electric CF6-80C2A5 engines. At this time no further factual information is available.

Airbus will make further factual information available as soon as the details have been confirmed.

Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States, who is responsible for the investigation into the accident, as well as to the French Bureau d’Enquêtes Accidents (BEA). A team of seven specialists from Airbus is being dispatched to the U.S.

The A300-600 is a twin-engine widebody seating 266 passengers in a standard two-class configuration. The first A300-600 entered service in March 1984. By the end of October 2001, 242 A300-600s were in service with 27 operators. To date, the entire fleet has accumulated some 5.560 million flight hours in some 2.886 million flights.

The first A300-600 delivery to American Airlines took place in April 1988 and by the end of October 2001, American Airlines’ fleet of 35 A300-600s had accumulated some 1.193 million flight hours.

Our sympathies and prayers for the victims and their families join those of all concerned persons everywhere.