Analysis of Aircraft Incidence - Assignment Example

AIRCRAFT INCIDENCE Evaluate the potential problems that a total hydraulic failure to an aircraft in flight could create Hydraulics is an essential component in a plane. They supply the energy to needed in flight control. They are the source of power that moves the landing gear. The modern aircrafts have three hydraulic systems. The system gets configured in such a way that the three systems cannot fail simultaneously. When one system fails, it gets referred as a partial failure. In an event that this happens, the others act as a backup. This is a critical safety measure on the aircrafts (Borworn et al., 2010). The hydraulics also lessens the power required to maneuver the controls. A mechanical connection to the controls may exist. However, sometimes the forces are high for the pilot to control using his bodily muscles. That is where the hydraulic system becomes applicable. The failure in the hydraulic causes the whole system to stop functioning, or a part of it to become non -operational. When the whole system fails, we refer to it as a total failure. This is rare, but it causes the likelihood of occurrence of accidents to be high (Borworn et al., 2010). The causes of hydraulic failure are; errors from the manufacturing process, poor maintenance, contamination of hydraulic oil, and leakages. These causes are preventable with attention to details. The people responsible for the maintaining the condition of the aircraft should have adequate training in maintenance. This will ensure early detection of the problems in the hydraulic system. Contamination of the hydraulic oil is the chief reason of failure in the hydraulic system. It is paramount to do an in-depth assessment of this cause (Borworn et al., 2010). Seventy five percent of hydraulic failure is attributable to contamination of oil (Alexander et al. 2006, p. 8). This lowers the effectiveness of the system. In addition, contamination reduces the capability of valves to withstand pressure. This results to wastage of horsepower and generation of surplus heat, which causes the system to overheat. Contamination causes parts to attach because of accumulated sludge. Some contamination also results from the tear and wear of the system. This contamination is manageable through proper servicing (Armstrong, 1992). The contaminants of the hydraulic system are usually solids particles and liquid. Water is the most common liquid contaminant. The solid contaminants chemically react with the hydraulic system interfering with the operation of the system. Water contaminates the hydraulic fluid by forming an emulsion with it. The water presence in the system leads to corrosion of the components that make the hydraulic system. When this happens, the strength of the components reduces decreasing their efficiency (Borworn et al., 2010). When the hydraulic fluid gets inappropriately stored, contamination occurs. To avoid this, there should be proper handling of the fluids. The hydraulic system requires utmost care. This is because it gets, sometimes, degraded by additives meant to act against corrosion. Contamination with other liquids, apart from water, reduces the performance property of the hydraulic oil. The effect of contamination is the cause of worry. This is because it cause damage and in the aircraft, the damage may include loss of life (Borworn et al., 2010). When there is a total failure of the backup system, failure occurs. The backup system consists of an alternative hydraulic system and a manual extension. When there is a total failure in the hydraulic pressure, in this system, control gets lost. This causes the valve within this system to open. When that valve opens, it allows hydraulic fluid to flow from the alternative hydraulic system into the failed hydraulic system. The fluid will continue to flow in its regular course (Borworn et al., 2010). The manual extension applies when the hydraulic system and its alternative fails. When this happens, it leads to lack of hydraulic force overall. The entire aircraft lacks pressure. The operation of the plane paralyzes (Armstrong, 1992). This necessitates the use of the manual extension to maneuver the aircraft. There is a hatch on the ground between the captain and the first officer. There are three levers behind the hatch. The levers extend to nose gears. The nose gears are to the left and right of the main gear. These components function together through the mechanical extension. They enable the retracting of the landing gear (Alexander et al. 2006, p. 10). There is an alert system in place to alert the people in charge of failure in the hydraulic system. The signals are essential since they alert the persons concerned to take the necessary steps. The aircraft has six sensors, which work the same way. When a gear stops functioning, an illuminated green signal appears in the cockpit signal (Armstrong, 1992). This signal goes to two other sensors. When this does not happen a warning light that is red in color appears to the individual in cockpit. When a retraction to correct the problem occurs, and the correction fails the red light brinks (Aviation week & space technology 2008). Total failure of the hydraulic system is manageable when there is oil spillage. In the cases when there is, spillage of oil the damage caused is of high magnitude. This is because the hydraulic fluid is extremely flammable. A plane may loss control due to the failure of the hydraulic system, when this happen the pilot will try to land the plane (Armstrong, 1992). However, when there is loss of the oil the plane explodes into flames in the process of landing. Thus, the cases involving leakages in most cases cause total loss. The plane burns together with the passengers that were aboard. In the cases of hydraulic failure caused by contamination, the plane, through the backup system, is able to land. There are losses even in this safe landing. The passengers’ journey is delays as the plane makes an emergency landing (Armstrong, 1992). The emergency landing necessitates to land in the nearest airport. This means that the plane has to take a different course from the one initially intended. Apart from the inconveniences caused on the passengers, the airline incurs costly expenses in the process of repair and conditioning of the plane (Armstrong, 1992). The backup systems that may be utilised in the event of (no oil loss) total hydraulic failure in flight The backup systems become utilized in the event of (no oil loss) total hydraulic failure in flight. Reverse thrust is a backup system used to land the plane in case of an emergency. It is one of the modern methods applied in the occasion that there is a total hydraulic failure (Armstrong, 1992). Reverse thrust acts as a transitory diversion in the altering of propeller to direct the thrust produced forward. This causes a deceleration of the aircraft. It is usable during the landing of the plane. This reduces wear when the aircraft land especially in short landing distances. The thrust reverse is usable in turning the aircraft at negative angles (Alexander et al., 2006). A plane doing a reverse thrust The deceleration that the reverse thrust does reduces the landing force by more than a third. This aspect is useful when a plane is landing without the use of the hydraulic system (Armstrong, 1992). It prevents, further, damage to the aircraft. This is down by shutting the reverse thrust. Shutting down of the reversal thrust prevents airflow raising fragments. Thus, the engine does not suction the foreign objects, which would cause contamination. This process is applicable at whichever speed the aircraft moves (Alexander et al., 2006). When there is a failure in the aircraft, there is a procedure, for ensuring of safety (Aviation week & space technology, 2008). There is the standard time allowed between the detection of the non-functional element and its repair. In this case, the problem is the hydraulic system failure which not repairable in flight. The pilot tries to use the alternate hydraulic system. The alternate hydraulic has also failed. The only option is to use the mechanical backup. The mechanical backup requires the physical strength if the pilot for it to operate. The pilot pulls the landing lever off position since the landing gear is not extending. The pilot tilts in such a way that he reaches the hand crank. The hand crank opens the locks of the landing gear. To achieve this maneuver, the handles of the main gears and the nose gear need pulling to their limits (Alexander et al., 2006). The locks open allowing the gear down to a locked position. This extends the landing gear. The pilot then returns the handles in their position. In other cases, the landing gears are totally out of the use. The pilot has to land without them. The pilot has to unload the fuel. The angle of the flaps of the aircraft is set at fifteen degrees. The process of dumping fuel requires that all the switches be off with an exception of the ignition. The passengers swiftly get evacuated from the plane after landing (Armstrong, 1992). Further, ensuring fire safety measure are in place is essential. This requires comprehensive communication. These are the backup measures in the event of a total failure of the hydraulic systems (Armstrong, 1992). When the total hydraulic failure occurs in a multiengine aircraft, the backup system prevents the eventuality of an accident (Alexander et al., 2006). However, the maintenance crew of an aircraft should train adequately to in order to be professional in their job. This will be a way to avoid total breakdowns of the hydraulic systems. This is because the failure causes strains on the passengers, pilot and the entire crew that takes the responsibility to guarantee the wellbeing of the airplane and its passengers (George 2006, p.76). The manufacturing industry has a role to ensure that the quality of the hydraulic system withstands stress. This is achievable by focusing on quality while cutting on the cost of production (Rockart & Short 1989, p.10). They should employ enough engineers, to avoid overloading the engineers that are there making their work ineffective. The handling of the hydraulic fluid at all level should be proper. This will ensure that the purity of the fluid remains assured and, hence, eliminate the damages caused by contamination (George 2006, p.76). Reference Alexander P., Manuel H., & David Basin. (2006). Communications of the ACM - Privacy and security in highly dynamic systems. Volume 49 Issue 9, September 2006. New York, NY, USA Aviation week & space technology. (2008). New York: McGraw-Hill. Gubert, B. K., Sawyer, m., & Fannin, C. M. (2002). Distinguished African Americans in aviation and space science. Westport, Conn, Oryx Press. George, F. (2006), How Does It Work? Hydraulic Systems, Business & Commercial Aviation, 99, 3, 76. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 April 2012. Borworn P., Lavangnananda, K., Chutimaskul, W., & Vanijja, V. (2010). Advances in information technology 4th international conference proceedings. Berlin: Springer. Armstrong, M. (1992) Human Resource Management. 2nd Edition. London: Kogan Page. Rockart, J.F and Short, J.E. (1989) “IT in the 1990s”. Sloan Management Review. 30, 7-17. Read More