4. Technical Accidents
Over the years there have been several incidences that changed the face of aviation industry. I will talk about three incidents that gave rise to significant revisions in the aeronautical technology.
4.1. United Airlines Flight 811
Incident-
United Airlines Flight 811 experienced a cargo door failure while flying from Hawaii to Auckland on February 24, 1989. After flying for about sixteen minutes and reaching an altitude of 22,000-23,000 feet, the forward cargo door near the business class section blew out. This Boeing 747-122 aircraft also suffered a burst fuselage due to the blown out cargo door hitting the side of the aircraft. Pressure differential and aerodynamic forces left a gaping hole in the aircraft. A …show more content…
Kennedy airport in New York bound to Geneva, Switzerland on September 2, 1998. Cruising at approximately 33,000 feet, Captain Urs Zimmerman and First Officer Stephan Low determined an odor in the cockpit which was assumed to be smoke from the air conditioning system. A flight attendant closed down the air conditioning vent on orders from the captain. However, four minutes later, the odor returned with visible smoke .The captains decided to divert the flight to a nearby airport for a quick landing and the crew put on the oxygen masks to begin descent. Following directions of the Swissair checklist titled "In case of smoke of unknown origin" the captain decided to turn off the power supply in the cabin. This caused the air-circulating fans in the ceiling to shut off which resulted in a vacuum buildup in the passenger cabin’s ceiling space. The vacuum induced fire to spread into the cockpit resulting in shutdown of the …show more content…
This was the highest death toll for any aviation accident involving a Douglas MD-11 and second highest of any air disaster.
Causes-
Investigators identified eleven causes and contributing factors that resulted in this crash. The most important was-
"Aircraft certification standards for material flammability were inadequate in that they allowed the use of materials that could be ignited and sustain or propagate fire. Consequently, flammable material propagated a fire that started above the ceiling on the right side of the cockpit near the cockpit rear wall. The fire spread and intensified rapidly to the extent that it degraded aircraft systems and the cockpit environment, and ultimately led to the loss of control of the aircraft."[2]
Lessons learned-
Nine recommendations were issued by the TSB (Transportation Safety Board) relating to changes in the electrical systems, aircraft materials (inspection, certification, testing and maintenance) and flight data capture. General recommendations were also made to improve fire detection techniques, checklists, fire-fighting equipments and training
Over the years there have been several incidences that changed the face of aviation industry. I will talk about three incidents that gave rise to significant revisions in the aeronautical technology.
4.1. United Airlines Flight 811
Incident-
United Airlines Flight 811 experienced a cargo door failure while flying from Hawaii to Auckland on February 24, 1989. After flying for about sixteen minutes and reaching an altitude of 22,000-23,000 feet, the forward cargo door near the business class section blew out. This Boeing 747-122 aircraft also suffered a burst fuselage due to the blown out cargo door hitting the side of the aircraft. Pressure differential and aerodynamic forces left a gaping hole in the aircraft. A …show more content…
Kennedy airport in New York bound to Geneva, Switzerland on September 2, 1998. Cruising at approximately 33,000 feet, Captain Urs Zimmerman and First Officer Stephan Low determined an odor in the cockpit which was assumed to be smoke from the air conditioning system. A flight attendant closed down the air conditioning vent on orders from the captain. However, four minutes later, the odor returned with visible smoke .The captains decided to divert the flight to a nearby airport for a quick landing and the crew put on the oxygen masks to begin descent. Following directions of the Swissair checklist titled "In case of smoke of unknown origin" the captain decided to turn off the power supply in the cabin. This caused the air-circulating fans in the ceiling to shut off which resulted in a vacuum buildup in the passenger cabin’s ceiling space. The vacuum induced fire to spread into the cockpit resulting in shutdown of the …show more content…
This was the highest death toll for any aviation accident involving a Douglas MD-11 and second highest of any air disaster.
Causes-
Investigators identified eleven causes and contributing factors that resulted in this crash. The most important was-
"Aircraft certification standards for material flammability were inadequate in that they allowed the use of materials that could be ignited and sustain or propagate fire. Consequently, flammable material propagated a fire that started above the ceiling on the right side of the cockpit near the cockpit rear wall. The fire spread and intensified rapidly to the extent that it degraded aircraft systems and the cockpit environment, and ultimately led to the loss of control of the aircraft."[2]
Lessons learned-
Nine recommendations were issued by the TSB (Transportation Safety Board) relating to changes in the electrical systems, aircraft materials (inspection, certification, testing and maintenance) and flight data capture. General recommendations were also made to improve fire detection techniques, checklists, fire-fighting equipments and training