Aircraft Fumigation

Operators sometimes report cases of aircraft infestation by rodents such as mice and rats, and reptiles such as snakes and lizards, causing discomfort and alarm amongst passengers and crew, but also potentially considerable damage to the aircraft. Their presence in an aircraft can lead in extreme cases to the aircraft being grounded, especially when electrical…… Continue Reading →

Engineering Aspects of Cabin Air Quality

This Boeing document discusses engineering aspects of a modern commercial jet airliner environmental control system (ECS), focusing on cabin air quality. News media coverage suggests that aircraft cabin air quality is a serious concern. However, an objective review of pertinent data and comprehensive testing do not support this perception…. Continue Reading →

Erroneous Flight Instrument Information

Simple needle, ball, and airspeed flight information has been replaced by aural, visual, and tactile warnings incorporated into modern flight decks to alert flight crews when certain airplane parameters are exceeded. However, to prevent airplane accidents or incidents, flight crews need to know how to react properly when they encounter contradictory flight deck information or…… Continue Reading →

Erroneous Flight Instruments Indications

Reventable accidents and incidents related to erroneous flight instrument information continue to occur despite improvements in system reliability, redundancy, and technology. In particular, modern flight instruments provide more information to the flight crew with greater precision. Flight crews seldom are confronted with instrument problems; however, when these problems do occur, their rarity can make the…… Continue Reading →

Flight Crew Reliance On Automation

Modern large transport aircraft have an increasing amount of automation and crews are placing greater reliance on this automation. Consequently, there is a risk that flight crew no longer have the necessary skills to react appropriately to either failures in automation, programming errors or a loss of situational awareness. Dependence on automatics could lead to…… Continue Reading →

Fuel Imbalance

In-flight fuel imbalance occurs when the quantity of fuel between the fuel tanks in the left and right wings is unequal. A fuel imbalance can occur for many reasons, including acceptable variations in the performance of fuel system components, variations in engine fuel burn characteristics, faults in internal fuel system components, or fuel system or…… Continue Reading →

Getting to Grips with MMEL and MEL

The MMEL and the MEL are both designed to ensure that an acceptable level of safety is respected, when an aircraft is dispatched with inoperative equipment. The MEL enables Operators to rapidly dispatch an aircraft, and avoid unnecessary delays or flight cancellations, without sacrificing safety. Both the MMEL and the MEL are legal documents that…… Continue Reading →