On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 02:41:50 GMT, Jose
wrote:

The accident happened soon after maintanance, but a loooooong time after
the plane was manufactured, and even longer after the plane was designed.

Then maybe the maintenance was the problem. But that would be true
for aircraft of any age.

Yes. This is why maintanance would not get the same "pass" on liability
that is (now) granted the manufacturer. And an argument can be made
that a new design or manufacturing flaw might be undetected for a while,
but after 18 years, if it hasn't shown up yet, it's not much of a flaw.

As I recall, part of the impetus for the law was several lawsuits
involving failure of critical components... aftermarket components
that were not made by the original aircraft manufacturer, since
original parts were no longer available (for a made up example,
picture an A&P splicing a new section of tubing into a damaged wing
strut, a perfectly legitimate repair if done correctly). Depending on
the situation, the mechanic might well be liable.

-Dana
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