Questions tagged [safety]
Safety includes all aspects of protecting aircraft, passengers and crew from accidents, mistakes and other potentially dangerous situations.
811 questions
0
votes
0answers
68 views
Marshall signals history
When airport marhall signals have been used for the first time? Wich is the history about these signals? Thank you
-2
votes
3answers
211 views
What warning lights can one safely fly with? [closed]
Like many people, I often either ignore or reset warning lights in my car and continue to drive without issue for months or years (usually due to dodgy sensors giving a false-positive).
What warning ...
0
votes
2answers
109 views
What prevents the use of an EMAS along the sides of a runway?
The NTSB report about the crash of American Airlines Flight 1420 discusses whether an EMAS would have mitigated the severity of the accident, but concludes, based on testimony from a representative of ...
10
votes
2answers
4k views
Is there an audible warning on commercial aircraft if you try to land gear up?
In one of the comments on this question (under the accepted answer), someone remarks that
Aircraft can legally fly without a system to alert the crew when they are landing with gear up, etc.
Are ...
3
votes
2answers
246 views
Why was the 737 main rudder servo valve’s vulnerability to causing uncommanded reversals never discovered in testing?
As was discovered during the NTSB investigation into the crash of USAir Flight 427, the design of the servo valve inside the main rudder power control unit (PCU) formerly used on 737 Original- and ...
-1
votes
1answer
150 views
How safe are sail planes? [closed]
I think sailplanes have to be pretty safe. Because if it falls it will gain speed, which will be converted to lift.
So unless you do something stupid sailplanes can't just fall out of air. Am I ...
2
votes
1answer
105 views
Why didn’t the 757 have manual-reversion capability?
The Boeing 757 was the highest-capacity and latest-designed narrowbody Boeing ever produced (and, in the case of the 757-300, the highest-capacity narrowbody anyone ever produced); it was also the ...
6
votes
1answer
159 views
Why is the A330/A340's angle-of-attack protection disabled in alternate law, even if the AoA vanes are operating normally?
Reading about Air France Flight 447, to quote Wikipedia (emphasis added):
... A second consequence of the reconfiguration into alternate law was that stall protection no longer operated. Whereas in ...
4
votes
3answers
158 views
Are there statistics showing the relationship between safety and the age of aircraft?
Some people seem to believe that some airplanes are less safe to fly just because they are older than others. As a pilot myself who has learned that the safety of aircraft is nothing to do with their ...
13
votes
8answers
4k views
Why would all passengers be asked not to eat peanuts when there is one allergic person on board? [closed]
In this review of BA British Airways Club World London City flight there is one thing I don't understand:
... it was announced that a passenger onboard had a severe nut allergy, so they asked ...
1
vote
2answers
253 views
Why don't commercial aircraft have drag chutes for aborted takeoffs? [duplicate]
We were watching the program Air Crash Investigation and there was an episode where it was too late to abort the take-off and the pilots had to attempt to climb still but since an abort was not ...
26
votes
4answers
13k views
Why didn’t the Captain of Cathay Pacific flight 780 shut down engine 1 and land with a more reasonable speed?
In the approach phase, engine 1 of Cathay Pacific flight 780 got stuck at about 70% N1 and it forced the crew to do an overspeed landing (230knots).
Why didn't they shut it off by turning the fuel ...
3
votes
2answers
166 views
Do any aircraft automatically test that the pitot-static system is functioning properly before liftoff?
Given that a properly-functioning pitot-static system is absolutely essential for flight (a plane cannot be flown without valid airspeed data, or at least not for long), are there aircraft that ...
1
vote
0answers
58 views
Could I Legally Fly a Paramotor as a Commuter Method [duplicate]
I get permission from company security to fly into work using my paramotor (I don’t have one, but would like to get one).
We have six offices around the city. The city has two airports: one major ...
1
vote
1answer
94 views
How do aircraft stall warning systems handle (or not) asymmetric-stall situations?
Most, if not all, new airplanes are required to have stall warning systems to (as the name should make clear) provide the pilots with a warning when the airplane is about to stall. Most stall warning ...
1
vote
2answers
107 views
What margin of error should one reasonably allow regarding aircraft performance?
This question generated a lot of discussion around amateur pilots often making the mistake of calculating aircraft performance based on perfect conditions and not allowing for a 'safety factor' (i.e. ...
2
votes
2answers
242 views
Why aren't runway numbers painted in a higher aspect ratio?
I'm watching a lot of aviation youtube channels and it seems to me that when attempting a landing on a "normal" glide path, it must be quite hard to read the runway numbers until you're on short final,...
0
votes
0answers
34 views
Oversight responsibility in the delegated airspace
Who retains the oversight authority in the delegated airspace when an airspace of one State is delegated to another State fir the provision of Air traffic Services?
33
votes
6answers
13k views
Why do we say certain things *three times*, e.g., “Mayday. Mayday. Mayday”?
Repetition is a key characteristic of communication in the control tower, cockpit, and control room. Some phrases, like "Mayday" get repeated. The speaker says the same thing three times. We know ...
1
vote
1answer
151 views
Why do pilots typically start out in piston-engined aircraft, rather than jets or turboprops? [duplicate]
Essentially all pilots begin flying with propeller aircraft powered by piston engines, rather than in turboprops or light jets, even though:
Operating a piston engine requires adjusting the mixture ...
1
vote
2answers
200 views
Why aren’t multiengine general-aviation aircraft required to be capable of sustained single-engine flight?
While perusing the See How it Flies website, I came across this alarming statement regarding multiengine general-aviation aircraft:
You must not allow yourself to think that just because airliners ...
0
votes
0answers
107 views
Why don’t most aircraft have emergency braking parachutes? [duplicate]
Braking parachutes were standard on first-generation jetliners, but have since fallen almost entirely out of use except on military aircraft; essentially the only civilian aircraft nowadays to still ...
0
votes
3answers
704 views
Why is this video of a G36 Bonanza taking off so scary?
Why is this video of a G36 Bonanza so 'scary'?
If they had clipped the top of the trees, would it really have brought the plane down? (And even if yes, it looks pretty ...
15
votes
1answer
319 views
What makes it safe for the DC-8 to use reverse thrust in flight?
For most jets, the use of reverse thrust to slow down in flight, where even possible, is extremely dangerous, and strictly prohibited.
Not so on the DC-8, which is certified for the safe in-flight ...
0
votes
1answer
89 views
What are the differences between the two main brace positions? [duplicate]
Why are there two different brace positions (pictured below) ?
(If there is a difference between the official and true reason, please state both. In many planes the reduced seating spacing does not ...
0
votes
1answer
104 views
What is an “unsafe airline”? [closed]
Question:
Is there any internationally accepted definition for what an "unsafe airline" is based on objective criteria (e.g. fatalities per million passengers) ?
Or is there an international standard ...
0
votes
1answer
189 views
How to increase your chances of survival in a plane crash? [closed]
More than 90% of plane crashes in recent years had survivors.
In America, for example, there were 568 plane crashes between
1983 - 2000: Out of the collective 53487 people onboard, 51207 ...
2
votes
0answers
95 views
Would it be possible to start a modern airliner from cold & dark during flight? [closed]
Imagine a suicidal pilot or disturbed passenger who gets access to cockpit, messes with the buttons. He shuts down engines, IRS, and battery, it's the middle of the night at cruise altitude.
Would it ...
25
votes
5answers
5k views
Why can't airline pilots listen to music while flying? [duplicate]
In an interview I read, a 747 captain (Mark Vanhoenacker, an American British Airways pilot) says he doesn't understand why he cannot listen to music inflight, when for example surgeons – who ...
1
vote
3answers
183 views
How do pilots decide whether to circumnavigate bad weather?
How does an airline pilot decide in the air whether to circumnavigate or fly through bad weather visibly looming ahead and/or displayed on the weather radar ?
4
votes
1answer
195 views
Will an Airbus A320 plane go into an unrecoverable nosedive and crash if a single angle of attack sensor fails, like on Lion Air JT610?
For example, has an Airbus gone from cruise flight into an automated unrecoverable nose dive until it hit the ground because an AOA sensor failed in flight?
Moreso, are there any cases of an AOA ...
1
vote
0answers
52 views
What is the specific FAA regulation with regards to a pilot dropping jumpers into a solid cloud base? [duplicate]
What is the FAA regulation with regards to a pilot dropping jumpers into a solid cloud base? I saw some parachute jumpers come through a solid cloud layer with a base at around 1300 AGL. They landed ...
12
votes
1answer
2k views
Would the wings of a Boeing 787 be snapped off in the same turbulence in which a DC-8 lost an engine and parts of a wing?
From forbes.com:
In 1992, a DC 8 cargo aircraft suffered turbulence so severe over the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains that its left outboard engine was completely ripped off as well as ...
2
votes
1answer
409 views
Can pilots smoke in the cockpit of an airliner?
An answer on travel.se suggests that some pilots are smoking on long-distance passenger flights.
Can passenger airliner pilots smoke if both the captain and first officer agree it’s ok? If I recall, ...
-5
votes
2answers
142 views
In what cases does an airplane return to airport? [closed]
I’m just wondering in what kind of emergency cases an airplane would return to the airport?
I am a programmer and security enthusiast — what kind of security issue should I have to find that would ...
3
votes
2answers
189 views
Why don’t aircraft have interlocks to prevent high-lift devices from being retracted when doing so would stall the airplane?
Most aircraft have high-lift devices on the wings (such as flaps, slats, droops, whatevs) to allow them to take off and climb out at a reasonable speed instead of having to accelerate to near ...
3
votes
1answer
142 views
Why aren't any jet fuels heavier than Jet A/A-1/JP-8 in common use?
The commonly-used jet fuels fall into two main categories:
Straight kerosenes (Jet A, Jet A-1, JP-8, JP-5, plus, historically, JP-1), which are used in most situations because their high flashpoints ...
1
vote
1answer
197 views
Why aren't airliners spin-tested?
According to Wikipedia, only single-engine aircraft with an MTOW no greater than 12500 pounds are required to demonstrate the ability to recover from a spin, and not large or multi-engine aircraft. ...
3
votes
1answer
240 views
Why don’t aircraft use run-flat tyres?
Tyre failures on aircraft during takeoff are fairly common, and are usually (though not always) caused by flat or underinflated tyres (via the overdeflection and overheating experienced by tyres with ...
0
votes
1answer
158 views
How to handle seeing someone online claiming to be a pilot or pilot in training, who one feels shouldn't be flying, in the EU?
Suppose that on some aviation-related Internet discussion forum, one comes across contributions from a user who claims to either be training for a pilot's license, or to have a pilot's license.
...
3
votes
0answers
122 views
Do aircraft manufacturers take steps to prevent pests like geckos from damaging the electronics?
Many Australians are suffering huge bills due to geckos getting into the circuit boards of their air conditioning units. Of course this is highly profitable for A/C manufacturers as they supply ...
5
votes
1answer
747 views
What is the difference between redundancy and fault tolerance?
What is the difference between redundancy and fault tolerance in the context of aviation ?
10
votes
1answer
250 views
Is there research suggesting that VFR cruise altitude rules improve safety?
In the United States, 14 CFR 91.159 prescribes cruising altitudes for level flight under VFR:
(a) When operating below 18,000 feet MSL and
(1) On a magnetic course of zero degrees ...
0
votes
2answers
241 views
How long before a Medivac should the pilots be ready?
If you are on home reserve how long is it required that the operator notify you of a flight before required Take off time?
Is there a regulation or documentation to support this or is it operators ...
-11
votes
6answers
293 views
How much can I exceed crosswind limits by? [duplicate]
I'm learning in a Tomahawk. They have a maximum demonstrated crosswind component of 15 knots. My school has a limit of 12 kt, but will only allow students to fly in 50% of that, so 6 kt.
Since it's ...
0
votes
1answer
92 views
Are Sophisticated Planes with Multiple Computer Interfacing Safer to Fly than Traditional Aircraft? [closed]
I passenger travel short haul flights to the carribean islands every month for business. I typically fly on an Embraer E190 or Airbus-320...I feel confident on the 190, I suppose I like the standard ...
-1
votes
3answers
249 views
How many Airbus planes have been destroyed in flight by severe turbulence? [closed]
Since a brand new A350 has literally the exact same design specifications / G limits as an airliner built in the fifties does (A 1955 F27 Fellowship will break up at 2.5 G-3.75G, same as a modern ...
-1
votes
2answers
332 views
How come the DC-8 plane can withstand +15G from turbulence, but newer planes can only withstand 20% of that amount?
Source - https://www.weather.gov/media/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/turbulence_stuff/turbulence3/turbulence.pdf
(Scroll down for photos)
I figured out how many G's the cargo jet took by looking at the ...
4
votes
2answers
252 views
For a modern airliner, wings are tested to withstand 150% of the limit load. What kind of weather would produce turbulence at 100% limit load?
I often see people citing the wing flex tests, but with very little reference as to what kind of forces they're designing the plane to take.
I am specifically referring to modern day jetliners such ...
2
votes
1answer
73 views
What are the potential threats of having the landing gear dirt from mud in a rectractable landing gear airplane?
Recently I have been flying an aircraft with the landing gear very dirt with mud due to the parking area of the airfield on grass and the meteo conditions in recent days. I wonder what are the threats ...
