Aircraft Accident Investigations
AvSafe reconstructionists are skilled industry and government aircraft accident investigators experienced in NTSB and Military investigations. AvSafe has worked mishaps on all continents and deep ocean settings. With experience ranging from the smallest general aviation aircraft to the largest transport - AvSafe staff can assist you in reconstructing your accident for the courtroom. AvSafe's clients include McDonnell Douglas, Raytheon, Cessna, Grumman, United States Marine Corps as well as individuals interested in finding the true cause of their accident. Some representative cases are listed below.
Runway Incursions are accidents involving collisions between aircraft operating on airport runways and taxiways. According to FAA statistics, runway incursion accidents and near misses are on the rise. The reasons for this are both simple and complex. The simple reason is that as the nation's skies and airports become more crowded with frequent fliers, the risk of aircraft ground collisions also rises. Complex issues also figure into runway incursion accidents. Weather, training, equipment, airport conditions, ATC and other issues are frequent causal factors in runway incursion accidents.
Inflight fires, like the 1996 Miami, Florida ValuJet accident pictured at the left are usually catastrophic. Inflight fires may be caused by improper handling and shipping of hazardous material like the ValuJet accident or may be due to a systems failure such as an electrical fire or engine failure. Passengers may also contribute to an inflight fire by improperly disposing of smoking materials. Inflight fires can quickly lead to loss of an aircraft by destroying flight control systems, causing wing spar failure, or crew incapacitation. These events can occur in as little as five minutes after fire discovery. It is important for an aircrew facing an inflight fire situation to get their aircraft on the ground ASAP.
Inflight breakups like inflight fires are catastrophic. The causes of inflight breakups are numerous and range from poor design or manufacturing, to poor maintenance practices, to pilot induced airframe overstress. A common pilot induced scenario involves a non instrument rated pilot flying an aircraft into poor weather. The pilot then loses control of the aircraft in the clouds and overstresses the airplane-- causing an inflight breakup. A good investigation of a pilot induced inflight breakup would reveal that all airframe separation points were caused by overload and not metal fatigue. In the photo at the left, a fatigue crack was discovered in the helicopter's main rotor blade. But how did the fatigue crack originate?
Midair collisions, like the one pictured at the left between two F/A-18's, are usually deadly. Fortunately these two pilots lived to tell their tale. Not all midair accidents end so well. Over 30 per cent of all Navy/ Marine Corps "pilot error" accidents are midair collisions. Many military midairs involve aircraft practicing aerial combat or "dogfighting". Civil midair collisions usually involve two aircraft operating close to an airport-- either taking off or landing. Like the runway incursion accident, midair casual factors involve many issues. Among them are Air Traffic Control, Radar, airspace, regulations, aircraft and ground based equipment, communications and the like.
Wire Strikes like the tragic EA-6B wirestrike (shown here) that killed twenty skiers in Cavalese, Italy last year are all too common. The Navy /Marine Corps averages 1.5 wirestrike accidents a year. The Air Force averages 1 a year. HAI reports that wirestrikes are the number one cause of helicopter accidents. In some cases a single wire has been involved in more than one aircraft accident. In one case, a wire in Pennsylvania was involved in four wirestrike mishaps. The causes of wirestrike accidents are numerous. Factors include charting, airspace control, visual illusions, regulations, cable marking, visual limitations and more.
Accidents Begin Where Safety Ends
