Paying attention to the basics remains a vital element of aviation safety, writes David Clemow.
The findings of the French report into the Air New Zealand Airbus 320 accident have tried to spread the blame on several parties involved in the tragedy. There is no doubt that water and/or cleaning liquid entering the sensors, where the static/dynamic pressures are taken from on the aircraft, isthe major cause.
On October 2, 1996, a Boeing 757 on a flight from Peru to Chile crashed just after takeoff. The three static ports on the left side of the fuselage were obstructed by masking tape applied before washing and polishing the aircraft prior to the flight.
This rendered the airspeed and altitude indications too low.
On February 6, 1996, an Alas Nacionales Boeing 757 flight crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after taking off from the Dominican Republic, killing the 189 people on board.
Blocking of the static sensor ports was suspected.
Blocking of static ports and dynamic pressure tubes (pitot heads) is a long-standing problem.
In flight through known icing conditions, it is imperative that effective heating units are installed and of course turned on.
Recently defective units from a European manufacturer have caused problems on some Airbus aircraft.
Evidence is pointing to the fact that these units were a major cause of the Air France Airbus 330 that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. They were awaiting a sensor replacement.
Now all the European-manufactured units on Airbus aircraft have got to be replaced.
Initially the question now must be asked why Air New Zealand did not have the aircraft refurbished back at their excellent aircraft engineering facility here at Auckland, regardless of the cost. The bottom line must be safety.
In Europe I know most experienced airline people would consider Lufthansa, SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) and KLM to have the best engineering facilities.
It is the writer's opinion that had that aircraft been brought back to New Zealand for refurbishment, that accident would not have happened.
No doubt contracts in the future like this will reflect this.
One thing I learned during my aviation career was the emphasis placed on basics both in flying operations and engineering. Protection and checking of these vital and small sensors is utterly paramount.
Perhaps some of these basics tend to be overlooked overseas.
There should never ever be accidents resulting from blocking, icing or even damage of these vital sensors.
David Clemow, a retired Air New Zealand captain, was technical director of the New Zealand Airline Pilots' Association from 1982 to 1985.
