The UK Civil Aviation Authority says pilots and cabin crew of jet aircraft should have specific safety drills if they suspect contamination of the cockpit or cabin air with fumes, writes David Learmount.
Although the serious incident that sparked this requirement involved oil fumes incapacitating the pilots of a BAe 146-200, the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report notes that similar incidents involving Boeing 737s, 757s and Fokker 100s have been recorded.
If pilots suspect fumes in the cabin or cockpit, the CAA says they should don their oxygen masks and select 100% oxygen immediately. In such an event, the agency also advises the cabin crew to "take an active part in monitoring the [condition of] the flightcrew" during the flight, says the CAA, following a recommendation by the AAIB.
Oil fumes completely incapacitated the co-pilot and significantly impaired the decision-making ability and physical co-ordination of the captain of a FlyBe BAe 146-200 inbound to Birmingham, UK from France on 5 November 2000, according to the just-published AAIB report. The aircraft landed safely but "heavily" at its destination and there were no injuries.
Although the pilots were given thorough medical checks at a hospital after the flight, doctors could find no evidence of any ill-effects. Even the report makes it clear that it cannot be scientifically certain that the fumes first reported by the cabin crew were the cause of the crew's incapacity, referring to "circumstantial evidence" that the air contamination was the cause. The report establishes that a damaged auxiliary power unit (APU) oil seal allowed oil fumes to enter the aircraft air conditioning system. Tests by a number of research units to replicate the effects of oil fumes in animals failed to do so, the AAIB reports.
Source: Flight International
