The world’s most commercially successful line of regional jets added a pair of new blemishes to its technical record late this spring, when both wholly owned Delta Connection subsidiaries confronted some unsettling moments during scheduled CRJ operations. Cincinnati-based Comair and Atlanta-based Atlantic Southeast Airlines–which together as Delta Connection represent Bombardier’s largest CRJ customer–each made local news following incidents in which their 50-seat jets revealed problems with their respective aileron controls and landing gear.
In Comair’s case, three separate incidents involving aileron control stiffness, all on May 1, occurred as the aircraft ascended to cruise altitude after takeoff from Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport. In the first incident, after experiencing “stiff and binding” aileron controls, the captain applied “light to moderate” roll input and felt a snap, after which the controls worked normally and the crew completed its intended flight to Omaha, Neb. At about the same time, the crew of another Comair CRJ en route to Oklahoma City diverted to St. Louis for an emergency landing after they felt what they described as “jammed” ailerons accompanied by an “autopilot RWD trim” caution. The third airplane completed its flight to Allentown, Pa., without further incident.
