hr: Jets

The emergency landing of an Eclipse 500 in Chicago recently that prompted an urgent recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board for a quick inspection of all Eclipse 500 to the Federal Aviation Administration was criticized by the Eclipse 500 manufacturer.

Photo Credit: msprague

They said that it was an exaggerated report on the mechanical problem. They even pointed out that the NTSB went on to have publicity on the issue by an issuance of urgent press release and a safety warning that had already been done by Eclipse.

Eclipse Aviation President and CEO Vern Raburn were certainly miffed at NTSB for calling their aircraft unsafe and claimed that it was not only a massive exaggeration but also a false allegation.

NTSB on the other hand said that the agency just acted right on the matter since Eclipse 500 is fairly a new aircraft and that their inquiry on the matter revealed a safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately.

Raburn said that the NTSB is also so slow in finishing its inquiries. He claimed that the issue can be easily be fixed by a software program but they cannot since the particular part of the aircraft needed is still with NTSB for further evaluation.

Photo Credit: hyku

He also reported that the inspection on all Eclipse 500 ordered by FAA was done in less than 10 minutes and the very aircraft who had an emergency landing in Chicago was already back in the air. Raburn also said that no customers who pre-ordered the plane gave any request for canceling. They have an outstanding order for 2,600 Eclipse 500.