Aircraft
Accident InvestigationsAvSafe 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
