by means of Capt.

by means of Capt. Ken Adams

(Editor's note: Capt. Adams has been a safety proffer with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) for more than 15 years. He has participated in several accident investigations, serv as the Central Air Safety Chairman for the Delta Pilot Master Executive Council (MEC) and is publicly participating in the Swissair Flight 111 investigation as the lead investigator for IFALPA (International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations). He is generally an MD-11 captain with Delta Air Lines [DAL]. What run afters is an abridged version of remarks Capt. Adams plans to deliver at the November 8-11 safety interview hosted by the Flight Safety Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.)

My piece of work is flying a large aluminum tube filled with wires, electricity, flammable liquids, a apportionment of flammable material - and population It is time for the industry to be challenged, and to issue up with a better methodology to combat fire upon board aircraft.

Many countries over the world are enacting regulations that will defend their citizens from electrical arcing point to be solved [i]or[/i] settleds notably new regulations requiring fire detection and protection for place of abode residences. In the year 2002 the United States National Electrical collection of laws seems very likely to require arc sensing or "ticking fault" circuit breakers in all of the present day residential construction. Some local collection of lawss already require installation of automatic fire detection and suppression theorys in all new residential buildings. chiefly countries require some form of automatic fire detection and fire extinguishing rules in commercial buildings.

at the same time in the year 2002 it is true likely that the aircraft industry will be building aircraft capable of transporting more than 600 passengers with no requirement - or planned requirement - for these giant just discovered aircraft to use arc sensing circuit breakers, or to busy fire detection and suppression for hidden cockpit areas, avionics, or enclos cabin compartments (except for the lavatories). The single requirement is for automatic fire detection in the engines, the belly imprisons and in lavatory waste receptacles. Pilot-controlled extinguishers are provided for the engine and cargo areas. a certain number of aircraft feature overheat detectors in the avionics compartments - however not an automated fire extinguishing capability.

Given the potentially catastrophic issues of an uncontained in-flight fire, an integrated a whole is needed to detect and to extinguish fires, wherever they appear before they can spread to damage connected views or threaten the entire aircraft.

Since 1996 there have been three major aircraft accidents involving fire in the cockpit and cabin. couple of the aircraft had no fire detection capability in the areas where the fires started, and fatal crashes were the grim terminate The third aircraft had effluvium detection that enabled the ship's company to land before severe damage ensueed (see ASW, July 12).

couple crashes and one "save" provide the imperative for improvement. There have been numerous reported incidents of fire and fume in both the cockpit and the cabin, as documented in the Aviation Safety Reporting rule (ASRS) database. An examination of these issues provides ample grist to modify aircraft and checklist design philosophy to eliminate the moot points highlighted in these reports.

The facts are that recent wide-body aircraft contain up to 200 miles of wiring. of recent origin aircraft in the design stage contemplate an steady greater use of electricity. Absent changes to rife fire prevention, detection and suppression philosophy, the potential hazard pos according to electrical system fires is likely to increase.

Further, when fire appears time is critical. Every minute deems Aircraft flying at altitudes of 30000 feet or greater are 15-30 minutes away from the closest suitable landing site in subordination to the best of circumstances. Consider the September 5 1996 case of the Federal Expres DC-10 freighter that experienced an in-flight fire, and in which the ship's company received prompt fire warnings. From the time the alarm wholeed at 33,000 feet, it took the mob 20 minutes to land the airplane. In other words, on-board protection and proceedings are vital in the initial reaction to an in-flight fire.

Flight adorn fire detection and protection

single only needs to read the convolut pressing necessity procedure checklists for dealing with fire and exhalation to appreciate that the in every one's mouth philosophy for fire detection and fire hinder is unacceptable. At the first sign of effluvium the crew is required to don oxygen masks. While this action covers the crew, it severely curtails their sensation of smell, and hence their inability to determine the nearest actions to de-energize circuits or to check the source of smoke. At existing there are no detectors in the aircraft to help the throng determine the source of effluvium other than the limited combination of parts to form a wholes required for engines, cargo compartments and lavatories. What is wanted is a detection capability analogous to the central nervous body in the human body - capable not and nothing else of determining the origin of any mist but also the factors causing it (eg electrical, oil/hydraulic, tobacco returnss etc.).