Manufacturing changes resulting from aviation disasters

¶ … Manufacturing as a Result of Aviation Disasters

In aviation the study of different accidents helps to provide insights as to why a crash or a series of crashes are occurring with a particular airplane. This information can then be used by investigators to identify the various flaws in a particular make and model. At which point, increased safety guidelines can be updated within the industry, most commonly issued as an Airworthiness Directive (AD) or Service Bulletin (SB). These different directives / guidelines are designed to help prevent the most common problems that contributed to airplane disasters. To fully understand how accidents have been used to improve safety standards requires examining three different airplane crashes to include: Aloha Airlines flight 243, American Airlines flight 587 and British Overseas Airways flight 781. Where, the main causes of the accident, the contributing factors, the recommendations made by investigators and the changes to the industry because of what was under covered; will highlight how air safety standards improved. It is through examining these different elements in the backdrop of the three different accidents; that will provide the greatest insights, as to how investigators are able to learn from the issues that contributed to all of the different accidents.

Aloha Airlines Flight 243

On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was taking off from Hilo, Hawaii bound for Honolulu. Where, the Boeing 737 would encounter a rupture; on the roof of the left side of the aircraft, at 24,000 feet. This would tear a large hole within the first class cabin of the plane, as it the crew was forced to make an emergency landing in Maui. During the decent, the plan lost cabin pressure because of the large hole that was running from behind the cockpit of the aircraft into the back of the first class cabin. The main causes of the accident were a weak seal at the manufacturer, with the epoxy used to hold the outer metal strips together subject to the elements of a tropical climate near the ocean (humid / salty conditions). The high amounts of moisture in the air and the salt would work its way through the epoxy over the course of time. This would eat away at the bolts and the metal of the aircraft, as the increased water / salt would cause oxidation to occur. A second cause was the age of the aircraft, where the plane was 19 years old, having far more take offs and landings at (89,090) than the plane was originally designed for (75,000). These two factors are important because the constant compression and decompression that was occurring would place pressure on the structure of the aircraft. ("Aloha Airline Flight 243," 1988)

The contributing factors to the accident would be the fact that Maui did not have any kind of emergency disaster plan. This is problematic because it would cause the severity of the incident to be more extreme, as the overall role of first responders was conflicting. Then, there were questions as to how well the ground crew would inspect the body of the aircraft for cracks. ("Aloha Airline Flight 243," 1988)

The investigators made a number of different recommendations the most notable would include: better training of airline maintenance personnel in identifying structural weaknesses on the aircraft, develop a corrosion control program for the airlines, revise national safety inspection program teams / the organization and evaluate FAA monitoring programs. Investigators issued an AD to all airlines, where they were required have the cables of the Boeing 737 checked for corrosion. ("Aloha Airline Flight 243," 1988)

The accident brought about significant changes to airline industry. This is because it would highlight an issue that was facing a number of different airlines around the country (aging fleets). As a result, Congress passed the Aviation Safety and Research Act of 1988. This commands the FAA to spend 15% of their budget investigating issues surrounding an aging fleet / other errors that contribute to accident to include: the maintenance of an older fleet, human factors, fire safety issues and incidents involving air traffic control. This is significant because it forced the agency to examine what causes aircraft disasters, so that they can be prevented in the future. As a result, the accident has helped improve the age and safety of fleet within airline industry. ("Aviation Safety Research Act," 2010)

American Airlines flight 587

On November 12, 2001, American Airlines flight 587 was taking off from JFK International in New York bound for Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. Shortly after take off, the pilot of the Airbus A300 had trouble maintaining control of the rudders and vertical stabilizer. As both items would be separate from the plane and fall into the ocean. At which point, the airplane would crash into the Queens neighborhood of Belle Harbor. Since the incident took place in the aftermath of September 11th it was feared that Al Quida was behind the accident, as they would claim responsibility. However, the NTSB determined that it was the pilot excessively using the rudder to try to stabilize the plane after it took off. This was because the flight would leave right after a Japan Airlines flight had just taken off, where the turbulent air would make it difficult for the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft. To counter the excessive turbulents the pilot would use the rudder and stabilizers excessively, until they would break off into the bay. ("Investigation of the Crash of American Airlines Flight 587," 2008)

There was one initial concern that was thought to be a contributing factor of the accident, where it was believed the composite material that was used in the stabilizer and the rudder could be weak. However, after testing the material it was determined that it was able to withstand extensive amounts of stress. ("Investigation of the Crash of American Airlines Flight 587," 2008)

Investigators found that because the pilot would use the rudder to counter for the turbulents from the Japan Airlines flight, that this would be the cause of the crash. Where, the excessive use of the rudder and stabilizer caused the failure. As a result, investigators determined that if the pilot had not engaged in such actions, the plane would have been able to naturally stabilize itself. The recommendations that they made included: improved airline training on the proper use of the vertical stabilizer and rudders during such incidents (as it was discovered that there was little to no training in this area at the time). There also were two ADs issued, one was to have all airlines perform a one time detailed inspection of all Airbus A300's, paying careful attention to the attachment points of the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The second AD was directing the airline to conduct tests on how the load in the front of the plane will be affected when the rudder / stabilizer are malfunctioning. ("Investigation of the Crash of American Airlines Flight 587," 2001)

The accident changed the way that pilot training was conducted within the industry, where pilots are required to go through initial certification under such conditions as those faced by flight 587. There has also been improved continuing education and monitoring as to how pilots respond to these kinds of scenarios encountered at major airports. This is significant, because it shows how the accident highlighted a problem faced at many airports around the world, congestion. To effectively take off and land requires understanding how to effectively use the stabilizer, when flying behind other aircraft. As a result, the accident helped to change the focus of the airline industry, where they are concentrated on how their pilots deal with issues surrounding congestion during take offs and landings. ("Investigation of the Crash of American Airlines Flight 587," 2008)

British Overseas Airways Flight 781

On January 10, 1954, British Overseas Airways flight 781 took off from Rome and was destined for London's Heathrow Airport. During the flight, the De Havilland Comet had sudden explosion that caused a total decompression of the cabin, as the plane would crash into the Mediterranean Sea. The subsequent investigation revealed that the two main causes were: a sharp reduction in cabin pressure caused by the fiberglass window. This was because the manufacturer had used punch hole rivets to secure the windows instead of epoxy. The problem with using punch hole rivets is: that they leave tiny air pockets. Over the course of time, the pockets will become more severe, where it means that at some point the support for the windows will weaken. ("BOAC Flight 781," 2005)