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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 3701.PDF
OPERATIONS: AIR TRANSPORT US NTSB warned FAA of collision risk BY KIERAIM DALY IN WASHINGTON DC The runway collision of two Northwest Airlines aircraft at Detroit occurred just weeks after the US National Transpor tation Safety Board (NTSB) listed prevention of runway in cursions as one of its top six aviation priorities. Issuing the NTSB's first "most wanted" list in October, chair man James Kolstad had urged the Federal Aviation Admini stration (FAA) to impose rec ommendations made in 1986. The FAA is developing a high-resolution radar system called Airport Surface Detection Equipment 3 (ASDE-3) which will warn controllers automati cally of an impending collision risk, but which will not begin to be installed until late next year. In the Detroit Metropolitan accident on 3 December, Boemg 727 N278US, which was taking off in fog, collided, shortly be fore rotation point with DC-9 N3313L which entered the run way after a wrong turn. The 727's right wing ripped along the upper fuselage of the DC-9, tearing off much of the roof and shearing off the DC-9's right The DC-9's fuselage was ripped apart by the Ill's wing engine. The DC-9 caught fire, killing eight people, including a flight attendant. Another 24 of the 37 people aboard were in jured but the 156 occupants of the 727 escaped largely unhurt. The 727 had been cleared for take-off on runway 03C, the centre of three runways, and the DC-9 was supposed to be taxi ing for take-off from the same runway. Reported visibility was "a quarter-mile J400m] with 100ft [30m] ceiling". The air port was closed for landing but allowed take-offs. Additional checks for 737 The US Federal Aviation Ad ministration (FAA) plans to add more than 50 aircraft to the mandatory Boeing 737 inspec tion programme aimed at reduc ing the likelihood of a rapid cabin decompression. A notice of proposed rule making proposes a new air worthiness directive (AD) re quiring additional areas for in spection and updated inspection procedures. The proposal has been prompted by operator reports of additional 737 skin cracks, corrosion and skin-to-doubler delamination. The FAA has determined that Boeing 737s with line numbers 465-519 should be inspected. These aircraft were built with hot-bonding techniques, but be fore improved surface prepara tion offering more reliable bonding had been introduced. It adopted, the proposal brings 519 Boeing 737s under the existing programme. About 213 are US-operated. The FAA estimates that the required action will take about 262 man-hours per aircraft. The new AD would call for ultra sonic inspection to all non- rivetted areas of bonded dou- blers around major skin cutouts and bonded doublers between body stations 360 and 420 and between stringers 15L and 25L. The FAA has also re-evalu ated the fatigue life of blind- fastened repairs and is calling for less-frequent inspections and later replacement than re quired by the current AD. D Just before the impact the DC-9's first officer, asked by the tower where he was, replied: "Uh, we're not sure. It's so foggy out here, we're completely stuck here...looks like we're up on 2f centre here, that would be dan gerous, the take-off runway." Tower: "You say you're on run way 21 centre." DC-9: "I believe we are, we're not sure." Tower: "If you're on 21 centre exit that runway immediately, sir." The NTSB says the captain, who was hired 24 years ago but was making his 13th flight since returning after a five-year medi cal lay-off, claims he did not hear the exchange between the tower and the first officer. Investigators are also examin ing a report,-believed to be from the 727 captain, that the run way centreline lighting was not working — although the tower indication showed that it was. By the end of October, FAA figures showed 220 runway in cursions — not necessarily by aircraft — at US airports this year: 223 in 1989, 179 in 1988 and 382 in 1987. At Detroit there were 11 incursions in 1987, nine in 1988, eight in 1989 and two this year. Detroit is one of 29 airports scheduled to receive ASDE-3 but, at present, does not even have the considerably inferior ASDE-2 equipment, installed at 12 US airports. The FAA issued its first re quest for proposals for a proto type ASDE in 1976 which led to a system made by Ferranti sub sidiary Cardion being installed at Anchorage in 1984, where it has since been in successful operation. In 1985 Norden won the FAA ASDE-3 production contract and a trial installation is in place at Pittsburgh. That pro gramme is now some six months late, most recently be cause the 5.5m antenna struc turally fails at its 60rpm rota tion speed. • El Al improves 767-200ER's range El Al is to install centre-section fuel tanks in two of its Boeing 767-200ERs to allow a non-stop flight from Tel Aviv to New York or Montreal ^ctarry- ing 195 passengers. Boeing supplied the 12t- capacity tanks and F.1 Al is fitting them at a cost of about S2 million per aircraft. The ret rofit involves some wing and fuselage centre-section strength ening and takes about five weeks. The first aircraft will be ready by January and the second by March. El Al says it is first with this self-retrofit. The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of the 767ER will be now 163,300kg — 11,340kg more than the original MTOW. " • PLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 12 - 18 December, 1990 9
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