FUEL TANK SAFETY / EWIS CONTINUATION TRAINING

Transcription

1 FUEL TANK SAFETY / EWIS CONTINUATION TRAINING Q1 & Q Page 1 of 11

2 CONTENTS: 1 INTRODUCTION 2 Fuel Tank Safety 3 EWIS Page 2 of 11

3 1. Introduction The purpose of this module is to highlight industry issues related to SFAR 88 & EWIS. Engineers are reminded that they should have received training in both phase 1 and phase 2 FTS. This is detailed in PART 145:- Phase 1 + Phase 2 + Continuation training: Personnel of the Part-145 approved maintenance organization required to plan, perform, supervise, inspect and certify the maintenance of aircraft and fuel system components specified in paragraph A). If you have not received phase 1 training previously Altitude Global Engineering Bulletin 26-Gen-028 covers the phase 1 FTS Awareness syllabus and can be provided with a read and sign record. Please contact the Quality Department for details. Page 3 of 11

4 Brief Refresher:- 2. Fuel Tank Safety As a result of several commercial aircraft incidents over the decades during aircraft operations involving fuel tank explosions both in the air and on the ground, both the NTSB (National Transportation Board (United States of America) and subsequently the FAA issued SFAR (Special Federal Aviation Regulation) 88, making recommendations. These recommended the preclusion of ignition sources, subsequently EASA have included the requirement for this training as part of human factors and is directed by PART 145.A.30(e). The goal of SFAR 88 was to preclude ignition sources, investigations resulted in:- Concluding that Safety Assessments were very valuable Revealed unexpected ignition sources Difficulty in identifying all ignition sources A Number of previously unknown failures found Continuing threat from still unknown failures Unrealistic to expect we can eliminate all ignition sources Must consider flammability reduction of high flammability tanks as an integral part of system safety This meant that SFAR 88 focused on identifying the causes of ignition and therefore lacked insight to the remaining 2 elements of the fire triangle (Oxygen and Fuel), the flammability range of the gases in the fuel tanks. This resulted in missing an error layer. By addressing the flammability range of the fuel gases we can increase the protection on another error layer ref diagram A. Page 4 of 11

5 Diagram A Therefore Fuel tank inerting systems have been developed to affect the flammability/explosive range as possible of the fuel/air mixture in the tanks. The diagram below demonstrates the centre section of the flammable/explosive range, which the inerting system moves outside of this range. LEL = Lower Explosive Limit UEL = Upper Explosive Limit Page 5 of 11

6 3. EWIS Electrical Wiring Interconnect System Over the years there have been a number of in-flight smoke and fire events where contamination sustained and caused the fire to spread. Regulators and Accident Investigators have conducted aircraft inspections and found wiring contaminated with items such as dust, dirt, metal shavings, lavatory waste water, coffee, soft drinks, and napkins. In some cases, dust has been found completely covering wire bundles and the surrounding area. Research has also demonstrated that wiring can be harmed by collateral damage when maintenance is being performed on other aircraft systems. For example, a person performing an inspection of an electrical power centre or avionics compartment may inadvertently cause damage to wiring in an adjacent area. Aviation Accident Investigators have specifically cited the need for improved training of personnel to ensure adequate recognition and repair of potentially unsafe wiring conditions. Below are the target group categories as listed in Annex III to ED Decision 2008/007/R of 29/08/2008 AMC 20-22, Aeroplane Electrical Wiring Interconnection System Training Programme, including the tables referring to the depth of knowledge to be covered for each group. Target Group 1: Qualified staff performing EWIS maintenance. Target Group 2: Qualified staff performing maintenance inspections on EWIS. Target Group 3: Qualified staff performing electrical/avionic engineering on in-service aeroplane. Target Group 4: Qualified staff performing general maintenance/inspections not involving wire maintenance (LRU change is not considered wire maintenance) Target Group 5: Qualified staff performing other engineering or planning work on in-service aeroplane Target Group 6: Other service staff with duties in proximity to electrical wiring interconnection systems Target Group 7: Flight Deck Crew Target Group 8: Cabin Crew Page 6 of 11

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