The well known discount airline Tiger Airways has had a jet reportedly flying for eight months with a faulty wing before the problem was reported. A report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says that the fault was reported only after the Airbus A320, which was carrying 125 passengers, began to shake continuously during a Melbourne-bound flight back in May of last year.

This report went on to say that the problem should have been reported some eight months earlier than that. It should have been reported back when a pilot was forced to turn back to Melbourne due to a problem. Investigators found Tiger Airways failed to comply with the Transport Safety Investigation Act, because they did not report the earlier incident.

Reports into the second incident attributed the fault to a valve that is known for controlling the movement of flaps on the trailing edge of the left wing. The investigators said that the valve was adjusted incorrectly when the plane was built way back in 2007. This has caused undue wear in the flap control mechanism.

The plane’s wing flaps, which are known as ailerons, are hinged surfaces that move down and up on the wings in flight. This is to help increase or reduce the varying degrees of lift required by the pilot. The report went on to tell how Tiger Airways’ plane left Mackay for Melbourne on May 19^th of last year. At the time of the event, there were 125 passengers on board and six crew members.

Then, during the flight, a caution message appeared in the cockpit. It was warning of a flight control problem. However, the crew said that there appeared to be no problem at that time. As the jet reached 35,000 feet a very light but continuous shaking became evident within the plane.