Questions tagged [safety]
Safety includes all aspects of protecting aircraft, passengers and crew from accidents, mistakes and other potentially dangerous situations.
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How much is the minimum safe distance between two planes in-flight?
According to FAA regulations, how far should a commercial jet be away from another plane in-flight?
How about military planes? They get really close when in formations... Is there a minimum distance?
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Why don't big commercial planes have full aircraft parachutes?
On smaller aircraft, like some Cirruses for example, they have parachutes attached to the body of the aircraft that can help the plane get to the ground safely in an emergency.
I'm wondering why ...
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Who has the higher authority, the pilot in command or ATC?
I'm sure many people have heard about the communication between a Delta flight 2244 and Atlanta tower being on news today.
When the Controller informs the Pilot he is on a wrong taxi-way, things get ...
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Why are commercial flights not equipped with parachutes for the passengers?
I understand that commercial flights are equipped with life vests. I also understand that most military jets are equipped with ejection seats. It may be costly and technically challenging to equip ...
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Why can't most jets safely use reverse thrust while airborne?
According to Wikipedia:
Some aircraft are able to safely use reverse thrust in flight, though the majority of these are propeller-driven. Many commercial aircraft cannot use reverse thrust in ...
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Why don't commercial jet aircraft have a break-apart, parachute escape system?
Imagine that the pilots on a jet aircraft determine that it will crash. Consider what would happen if the design of the craft allowed it to:
Break into four pieces
Each piece is pressurized ...
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Why aren't cell phones allowed to be used in aircraft?
What problems do cell phones cause? How is using a cell phone in the air different than using it from the ground?
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How does TCAS work?
TCAS is obviously a fantastic piece of kit, but I was wondering: exactly how does it work?
What I mean is, how does it determine whether to tell a pilot to climb or descend when there's traffic?
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Even after years of research, why are planes unable to keep passengers alive in case of a fiery crash?
Aviation dates back to the 18th century, and since then tremendous research has been put into making aircraft safer and more efficient. Though these efforts have resulted in better aircraft, why are ...
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Why do pilots have the ability to turn off the transponder in-flight?
These days, when reading news about missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200, I keep coming across a scenario where pilot might have deliberately turned off the transponder which is used for the ...
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When are aircraft required to dump fuel for emergency landings?
I've heard that in a lot of instances a jet that is making an emergency landing is required to dump excess fuel. In a lot of instances this would make a lot of sense. For example, if the gear cannot ...
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Do lights on aircraft flash in a specific pattern?
On a clear night, everyone can spot planes quite easily: they have flashing lights. I have noticed that the pattern seems different for different planes, and tried to find a meaning.
What I saw so ...
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Why do passenger jets accept input that will cause the aircraft to perform dangerous maneuvers it was not designed for?
Examples:
A bank angle > 45 degrees is considered an “upset,” putting the plane in a position that can lead to a loss of control.
A pitch > 20 degrees can possibly be dangerous and cause the ...
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How are engines mounted onto wings?
I've heard that the engines on a commercial air transports are typically mounted with 2 or 3 bolts. Is this true? If so, how big are these bolts and what are they made of?
I'm optimizing a bolted ...
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Is it possible to use reverse thrust while airborne? [duplicate]
I play a flight-sim called X Plane. The other day while I was approaching an airport a little too fast and knew I couldn't slow down in time. I decided to use the reverse thrust while I was still in ...
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Would failure to put on an oxygen mask during loss of cabin pressure result in death?
I was trying to explain to someone why the cabin is pressurized (no one wants hypoxia) and that led to discussion about the emergency oxygen masks available on airliners.
If a person didn't put on ...
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Is it even remotely feasible to turnback a single engine aircraft with an engine failure?
Note before reading further that I'm asking this question purely on theoretical grounds, though you are more than welcome to talk about practical aspects as well.
Now, my question. It's common ...
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Can passenger movement in an airliner make it stall?
This question shows a couple of air hostesses dancing during mid-flight and the co-pilot came out of the cabin to record it.
This made me wonder: Can flight crew or passengers moving around in ...
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How do larger aircraft compensate for reduced visibility from the cockpit, e.g. less visibility of the rear of the aircraft?
In smaller planes, pilots has apparently great visibility in front, on the sides and a good portion of the rear of the plane. But as the plane's size is increased, the visibility is also reduced. One ...
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I just flew into class B airspace without a clearance, what should I do now?
Hypothetical: Let's say (for whatever reason) a pilot became distracted or disorientated, and found themselves in class B airspace.
What steps should they take immediately and after landing to be ...
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How dangerous is flying in a single-engine plane?
Some people consider flying small planes very dangerous. Just how dangerous is it to fly in a light single-engine plane? For example, how does the fatality rate compare to driving a car, riding a ...
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What does it mean for a door to be armed?
What does "arming a door" mean? Is the orange tape that's applied over a window related, perhaps as an indicator to people outside that the door is armed?
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How common are cancelled landing attempts?
I recently traveled from Stansted, UK to Skavsta, Sweden with Ryanair, and was informed that depending on the weather (it was very foggy), we might end up landing at Arlanda (~150 km from Skavsta) ...
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What things can a passenger look out for, to indicate an emergency?
As a passenger with a keen interest in aviation, I'd like to think I'd be eagle-eyed enough to spot a problem that the pilots mightn't be able to see, from where they're sitting (for example, an ...
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How do Ram Air Turbines get deployed?
I understand that most larger jets have a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) in case of total electrical failure (for instance, when you run out of fuel) in order to at least have some hydraulics and a couple of ...
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What materials are plane windows made of?
I've always wondered, what are those dual-layered (bonus: sometimes they have a little <2mm hole, why is it there?) windows commercial jets put next to their seats made of?
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How does exceeding the critical Mach number of an aircraft affect its operation?
If an aircraft exceeds its critical Mach number, does it affect the way the aircraft is handled? Are there any significant changes to performance or the safety of the aircraft when above this speed? ...
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Why is tailwind during final approach and landing so dangerous?
I understand that tailwind is typically a good thing during your flight as it increases your ground speed and gets you to your destination faster. Despite that I get a feeling that pilots typically ...
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Airbags in aircraft - is that just a military thing?
The Bell OH-58D (a military helicopter used by the USA) has an airbag to make life better in the event of a crash.
I had never heard of such a thing in an aircraft before and I wondered if this ...
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Are the instrument panels in the cockpit spill / waterproof?
There are multiple switches and buttons in the cockpit, with different shapes and layouts. Are they spill proof?
What if the pilot spills water or coffee on them, will they still function?
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How dissimilar are redundant flight control computers?
Facts
On Airbus aircraft there are computers to secure the flight envelope, or to move the control surfaces. FADECs totally control the engines. Computers take decisions in place of the pilots, or ...
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Why is laser illumation of a cockpit an emergency?
Another answer pointed out that laser illumination of a cockpit may be considered an emergency, and that pilots may take evasive action when under laser illumination.
Why is laser illumination ...
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If a typical passenger plane had total failure of all engines mid-flight, is it possible for passengers to survive?
I have pretty bad flying phobia and often wonder what would happen if all the engines on the craft went out at the same time. I initially had the anxiety-ridden thought that the hundreds of thousands ...
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What is the maximum safe bank angle of a 747?
This question arose during the comments of another question, linked for the curious:
What does it take to turn a 747 around 180 degrees?
Because the discussion was interesting, (and to avoid ...
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Why are you required to commit to a full stop landing if reverse thrust is selected?
According to Airbus:
‐ After the flight crew selects reverse thrust, they must perform a full stop landing.
Does it really make sense to have this limitation, and why? What happens if you realise ...
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What are the consequences of flying GA without a license (certificate)?
As far as I can tell, in the U.S., 49 USC 46317(a) makes flying without a proper certificate a crime punishable by fine and/or imprisonment. However, the FAA is a regulatory agency, which means it ...
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Are the current seat belts used in commercial airlines safe enough?
I find myself thinking often, if the seatbelts in airlines are designed just to keep the passengers in seat or to really act as a safety belt like in cars, because in cars which go at 300kmph speed, ...
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Why don't all new GA planes include a parachute system?
When the Cirrus was first introduced, it included a Ballistic Recovery System, which shoots a parachute out the rear of the plane that can save a plane and its occupants when something goes wrong.
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How do manufacturers engineer their aircraft to deal with tail strikes?
I have been told that tail strikes on take off and landing are rare but do occur. I think, in my mind, the tail touching the ground at all would just make the tail fall off, but it appears I was ...
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What are the design parameters for airliner safety?
Airliners designed to carry multiple airfare paying passengers are regulated by CFR 14 Part 25, and by EASA CS-25. The design regulations are such that the probability of a catastrophic failure with ...
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Why are airliner cockpits not shielded from lasers?
With the recent increase in laser incidents reported by pilots, why don't airliner manufacturers shield airliner cockpit glass from lasers?
The Abrams tank is shielded, protecting the crew from ...
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If both pilots are incapacitated, what happens?
How do the airlines prepare for a situation where for some reason both PIC and SIC are incapacitated for the remainder of the flight?
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Would a homemade lawn chair balloon be visible on ATC and collision avoidance radar?
I am not a pilot, but have a question about radar detection of improvised lawn chair balloons that I thought might be on-topic here.
This BBC news article describes a marketing stunt gone awry ...
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"Airplane mode" does not disable GPS... is it safe to use GPS in flight?
I noticed that even when my phone is in "airplane mode", I can still use the GPS.
Theoretically a GPS receiver just receives data, so I guess it would not jam anything.
On the contrary, on the ...
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How do pilots rest on long-haul flights?
When flying on a long-haul airliner flight in economy, often I find it very hard to fall asleep. However, when off cockpit duties, they still have to get rest so that they are able to control the ...
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Where is the safest seat in the plane?
If I'm going on holiday with my family on an airliner such as one of the ones listed on this page, then where is the safest place to sit?
The answers to this question seem to imply that the seats at ...
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How are aircraft separated in a non-radar environment?
In remote areas that have no radar (oceanic airspace, etc.) how is aircraft separation maintained so that airplanes don't get too close?
What do areas that normally have radar do when there is a ...
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What are the ways to keep the birds away from airfields?
I know bird strikes are a major issue for many airports, and that measures are taken to keep birds away.
There are some obvious things airports can do like not to have any stray garbage, food, etc. in ...
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How is a wing designed to be stall or spin proof?
Yeah, it sounds like two questions, but I suspect the answers are very closely linked (or maybe even have the same answer.) I was told in this question that trainer planes are often designed to be ...
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How are jet engines certified against birdstrikes?
I recall that during US1549's birdstrike incident that resulted in it landing on the Hudson, a large amount of migrating geese weighing upto 20lbs each were sucked into the A320's engines — far ...
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