Regulatory Report

Shades of Swissair Flight 111

A proposed airworthiness directive (AD) calls for higher-rated circuit breakers on Boeing B757 inflight entertainment (IFE) systems, but the Federal Avaition Administration (FAA) also indicates in its announcement the requirement to turn off the inflight entertainment system from the cockpit. Moreover, the action results from a review of inflight entertainment systems that looked at 180 systems. That review examined the inflight entertainment power on Airbus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas airplanes. Details are in a July 13 Federal Register announcement (FR Doc E6-11020).

The FAA's interest stems from the 1998 crash of Swissair Flight 111, an MD-11, in Halifax, Canada. The investigation of that accident by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada led to the revelation that the airplane was lost due to electrical arcing, and that the inflight entertainment system wiring may have been involved in the sequence to disaster. Moreover, the crew could not cut power to the inflight entertainment system except by pulling the circuit breakers.

The FAA now says, "The flightcrew's inability to turn off power to the IFE system during a non-normal or emergency situation could result in the inability to control smoke or fumes in the airplane flight deck or cabin." Well, that's true, as evidenced by what is known about smoke in the Swissair crash, but the inability to cut power can also spell loss of the airplane. The FAA's notice of proposed rulemaking doesn't say that.

The FAA announces that modifications are required per Boeing service bulletins issued in 2003. The Swissair accident was eight years ago, the FAA conducted a special certification review of IFEs about seven years ago, and Boeing put out a corrective service bulletin for the B757 about three years ago. Where is the sense of urgency?

Propeller Safety

A fluorescent dye and eddy current inspection is necessary to detect cracking of McCauley Propellors on Jetstream 41 airplanes, the FAA announced in a ruling published July 26 on the Federal Register (FR Doc E6-11799). Cracked propellers must be removed from service. The action results from the discovery of two cracked propellers on the same hub.

What's interesting is the FAA's reporting requirement: "In order to assess the extent of any problem, we need to have all inspection results reported to us, even those showing that no crack indications were found."

Recall that in 1995 a propeller separated from an EMB-120 aircraft headed to Gulfport, Mississippi, and seven of the 26 passengers and crew were killed in the subsequent crash.