Newsgroup: it.hobby.scuba
Titolo: Difetto Aladin Air X Nitrox (da comp.risks)

Ciao a tutti. Copio e incollo da comp.risks... Riassumendo, sembra che
il modello Aladin Air X Nitrox del 1995 abbia un difetto che impedisce
al computer di cambiare di assetto quando questo ritorna alla superfice.
Il difetto sembra essere stato riconosciuto in un memo interno del 30
Gennaio 1996 ma mai pubblicato.
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Uwatec, Scuba Pro and Johnson Outdoors Subject of Class Action Seeking
Product Recall; 5 Feb 2003
Dive industry leaders Uwatec and Scuba Pro, and their parent company,
outdoor equipment conglomerate Johnson Outdoors, Inc., have been sued in
federal court by a former authorized reseller, Robert Raimo, seeking a
mandatory recall of all Aladin Air X Nitrox dive computers manufactured
before 1 Feb 1996. The suit seeks certification as a class action on behalf
of all owners of the dive computers, and all persons who acted as retailers,
dealers, wholesalers or distributors of the dive computers.
The suit claims that 1995 model Aladin Air X Nitrox dive computers have a
manufacturing defect that prevents the computer from switching from
underwater to surface, or air mode when the user returns to the surface. As
a result, the computer continues to calculate a diver's decompression
obligations as if the diver were breathing enriched air, or nitrox,
containing as little as 50% nitrogen, while on the surface, instead of
properly calculating the diver's decompression obligations and off-gassing
while the diver is breathing air, which contains 78% nitrogen. This defect
causes the computer to underestimate residual nitrogen loads, and to
overestimate the diver's safe repetitive bottom times, thereby significantly
increasing the diver's risk of contracting decompression sickness (bends).
The suit alleges that the defect is likely to affect experienced divers
making multiple nitrox dives in a single day to maximize bottom time, such
as those conducted on increasingly popular "live-aboard" dive vacations in
exotic locations, far away from the nearest treatment centers capable of
saving the life of a diver stricken with decompression sickness.
The so-called "air-switching defect" was first described in an internal
Uwatec memo dated 30 Jan 1996, which warned one of the company's test divers
about "the faulty Aladin Nitrox".  The memo described how to manually
override the defect so the diver could safely use his computer until it was
replaced by Uwatec. After this memo was sent to Uwatec's U.S. management,
they drafted a product recall notice. However, the suit alleges the managers
were fired before they could issue the recall notice, and the defendants
have maintained a "conspiracy of silence" ever since.
Copies of the 1996 memo and recall notice are attached as exhibits to the
complaint and may be viewed on the News section of the Web site of Raimo's
attorney, David Concannon, at 
www.davidconcannon.com
.
Raimo was stricken with Type II decompression sickness after using a 1995
model Aladin Air X Nitrox on four nitrox dives off Bonaire in Apr 2002. He
is the former owner of two retail dive centers in New York.
According to Concannon, the suit was filed as a class action only after
Johnson, Scuba Pro and Uwatec rebuffed Raimo's requests that the companies
issue a voluntary recall. The suit was filed in Oakland, California because
four other lawsuits filed by divers alleging they were injured by the same
model computer are currently pending there and are scheduled for trial in
Nov 2003.
Contact: David Concannon, 
610-293-8084
David G. Concannon, Law Offices of David G. Concannon, LLC
Strafford Building One, Suite 112, 150 Strafford Avenue
Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087
Phone: 
(610) 293-8084
  Fax: 
(610) 293-8086
 
concan...@msn.com


Ho ricevuto ieri o l'altro ieri un'e-mail da DiveInn di cui sono cliente
abbastanza regolare che annunnciava il ritiro con sostituzione gratuita
degli AirXNitrox prodotti nel 1995.
Non avendo mai posseduto tale computer ho cancellato il messaggio, ma
sembrerebbe che le cose stiano evolvendo.
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Inviato via 
http://usenet.libero.it

degli AirXNitrox prodotti nel 1995.
Si ma di quelli venduti in america, il comunicato ufficiale italiano è
qui 
http://www.scubapro.it/novita/recall_uwatec/recall_uw.htm
Carlo