Study reveals extent of danger of badly loaded aircraft, with Europe faring badly
Accidents to large passenger and freight aircraft caused by weight and balance (W&B) problems are more common than the industry appreciates, according to a study by the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory.
The research also reveals that, while Europe's record on W&B accidents is slightly better than the world average, it is more than 10 times worse than that of North America.
The NLR's report was presented last week by its senior consultant safety and flight operations Gerard van Es at the Flight Safety Foundation/European Regions Airline Association safety seminar in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is based on a study of the global accident database between 1970 and 2005 and showed W&B was a causal factor in 82 fully documented accidents.
The programme began soon after it became clear that the fatal MK Airlines Boeing 747-200F take-off crash at Halifax, Canada in 2004 was a W&B accident, but van Es says several different accidents prompted the study.
Passenger flights suffer 61% of W&B accidents and freighters the remaining 39%, according to the NLR. But since cargo flights constitute only 7% of total movements, the NLR calculated that the risk to freighters of W&B accidents is 8.5 times higher.
In the case of both categories of operation W&B accidents mostly happen in the take-off phase - 68% for passenger flights and 56% for cargo aircraft.
Passenger flights are most at risk from incorrect load sheets, but other high risks include the centre of gravity being aft of its limit, and overweight take-offs, the NLR found. The highest W&B risks for freight operators are the CG being aft of its limit, closely followed by cargo shifting because it was not properly secured, and incorrect load sheets.
The NLR found that underlying causes of the errors included time pressure, loading an unfamiliar aircraft type, lack of training, poor communication and ambiguity in loading procedure guidelines.
In the USA almost all the W&B accidents involve cargo aircraft, says van Es, whereas in Africa - the region with the highest W&B accident rate - most affect passenger flights. He says the latter often involves loading extra, unauthorised baggage or freight. In Europe there is a mix of cargo and passenger W&B accidents, but van Es says it is not clear why the occurrence rate is far greater in Europe than the USA.
More....... Flight's safety reviewSource: Flight International
