28 "Concerns" Identified By Russian Aviation Authority

Called "an overblown reaction" by some industry officials, Russia's aviation authority has grounded all Ilyushin 96-300 planes pending investigation into 28 problem areas with the long range airliner. The authority gave just three days notice for its decision, causing the sudden cancellation of international flights to destinations like Hawaii, Korea and Canada.
 
As was reported in ANN earlier this week, the Il-96 has come under scrutiny after a series of incidents this month, including a brief scare aboard President Vladimir Putin's own plane when it experienced a brake malfunction. The incident forced Putin to travel in a backup aircraft.

"Certainly it was kind of a shame that in a western airport the president couldn't fly on his plane," Aeroflot spokesman Lev Koshlyakov told Canada's CTV News.
 
Many of the concerns center around the aircraft's braking system.
 
The Il-96-300 has been in service since 1993, with an enviable safety record of no accidents or fatalities reported in that time. The grounding of the aircraft comes at the height of the summer travel season for Aeroflot, which operates six of the aircraft. It is also seen as a blow to the reputation of Ilyushin, one of Russia's largest airplane manufacturers.

"There's no need to ground all aircraft," Vyacheslav Salikov, general director of an Ilyushin production plant in Voronezh, was quoted as saying by Russian news sources.
 
The decision comes after one aviation's worst months that has seen five major airline crashes.

FMI: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin