A University of Utah professor is developing a Wiring Fault-Finder

"Faults in airplane wires is one of the main mechanical reasons planes crash," said Cynthia Furse, a University electrical and computer engineering professor. "Most planes have well over 15 miles of wiring; it is impossible and impractical to search the wires for tiny faults." Prof Furse and her students are hoping to create a wire fault detector that works while the plane is in the air. She is developing an intermittent, live wire fault location system that can locate the fault within one foot. Detecting the shorts isn’t the big problem. Doing it without disrupting the signals and information being carried on the wires is the major obstacle. However Furse thinks they're homing in on a practical methodology.

In 2004, Furse's research led to the creation of LiveWire Test Labs. Located in Salt Lake City, the lab is working with Furse and her students to design and produce a fault-location system. The problem has always been that intermittencies can occur and disappear, wire and its insulation flaws being so flexible and tensionable. Like the airplane as a whole, once airborne, wiring can take up new positions as the airplane flexes and changes shape due to aerodynamics and pressurization. Flaws can also result from the high frequency vibrations that are inherent in flight. That's what makes it so important that any detection system should be able to locate and localize the fault whilst the system is in operation.

The aim is to have an installable system being placed in new build airplanes by 2012. "Statistics show that there are two inflight fires a month," Furse said, "Fires that could possibly bring the planes down."