Landing with Nosewheels at 90 degrees
In the past few years, several events occurred involving landing with the Nose Landing Gear (NLG) wheels turned to 90° from the aircraft centerline. The investigations identified the root causes, which were different for each event. Mitigating actions were developed and deployed accordingly. This article describes the outcomes of investigations into several events of aircraft […]
Editorial – January 2022
by Yannick MALINGE – SVP & Chief Product Safety Officer
Look out for Ice Ridges on the Lower Nose Fuselage
With the start of the winter season in the northern hemisphere, it is a timely reminder to re-publish this article, initially written in 2018. Ice ridges on the lower nose fuselage can cause Computed Airspeed (CAS) values delivered by the ADRs to be lower than the actual airspeed which may lead to unreliable airspeed events. […]
Lining Up with the Correct Glide Slope
The Instrument Landing System (ILS) is accurate and reliable, but the ILS antenna design today causes secondary glide slopes to appear above the primary glide slope. Flight crews must be aware of this phenomenon to prevent unwanted aircraft behavior during an ILS glide slope capture. This article explains the phenomenon of secondary glide slopes and […]
Training Pilots for Resilience
Resilience training is not a new concept in aviation. It was introduced in mandatory Crew Resource Management (CRM) training for pilots a few years ago. Resilience is built on a pilot’s confidence and competencies. But what if they did not fly for many weeks or months? With many aircraft returning to service following the massive […]
Safe Handling of TCAS Alerts
TCAS RAs are not correctly followed in more than 40% of cases according to a recent study published by Eurocontrol, making non-compliance with TCAS RAs one of the top 5 Air Traffic Management (ATM) operational and safety risks. This article explains how the TCAS Alert Prevention (TCAP) and AP/FD TCAS functions can improve the situation […]
System Reset: Use With Caution
A system reset is not always the quick fix that it may seem. Performing an inappropriate manual system reset in flight can seriously impair the safety of the flight. Multiple system resets on the ground without performing the necessary troubleshooting actions can also have serious consequences. This article addresses when system resets are applicable and […]
Ensuring a Correct Aircraft Technical Configuration
Flying on an aircraft with an incorrect aircraft technical configuration can cause unexpected system behaviors that could lead to an accident or a serious incident. This can occur when an aircraft is dispatched with a computer standard that is not authorized to be installed on that aircraft. Incorrect technical configuration or documentation can also create […]
Editorial – A Tribute to Bernard Ziegler
by Yannick MALINGE – SVP & Chief Product Safety Officer
Take Care of the Wheel Tie Bolts
A significant number of missing wheel tie bolts have been reported to Airbus over the last 5 years. A few of these reports have described significant damage to the wheel or brakes. Carefully checking the condition of the wheel tie bolts during aircraft walkarounds can allow detection of missing or damaged bolts and help to […]