A case study highlighted the ongoing threat that wildlife poses to the aviation industry. The case highlighted that insect infestations do not just occur during lengthy grounding or parking of an aircraft but could emerge within just hours of an aircraft being parked.
A case study highlighted the ongoing threat that wildlife poses to the aviation industry. The case highlighted that insect infestations do not just occur during lengthy grounding or parking of an aircraft but could emerge within just hours of an aircraft being parked.
How much of a risk does WIP present to Operations and how can this be linked to wildlife issues? Well, let us dust of the case study and explore in a little more depth. An airline, which had experienced an unusual number of unreliable speed events, set about investigating the cause utilizing a cooperative task force of aerodrome and airline personnel (including other local operators). During post incident investigation it was identified that several pitot tubes had become blocked with a mineral based type of substance, but where did it come from?
Exploring the environment, two potential sources of the contaminant were identified, a sand pile which was located off airfield (but close to the boundary) and dust being generated by WIP on an airfield hardstanding were the likely sources. Analysis of the material identified that the pitot tubes had become contaminated by dust from construction work being carried out on the airfield. But how did the deposits get into the Pitot tubes? Was weather a factor? - Wind was considered in the investigation, but could not clearly determine this as a cause, simultaneously further analysis of the contaminant found non-indigenous insect remains within the mineral deposits found within the pitot tubes.
The answer lay within the insect deposits found in the pitot tubes, the non-indigenous insects, identified as being a Mason Bee had gathered the dust particles and has started building a nest within the pitot tubes.
Blocked or restricted pitot tubes can, in worst case scenario, result in several event outcomes, including, Runway Excursion and Loss of Control in Flight, events which we know could have catastrophic outcomes. However, the most likely incident scenario would see a rejected take off or an in air turnback. Of course, safety is paramount, and every effort should be made to prevent these issues from manifesting to something more nefarious. It was clear from the group discussion that most airlines represented in the room had experienced similar issues and experienced similar end states, all which should be considered as free lessons.
In this case-study there were a number of lessons learned including, the possible unexpected impact of climate change, that unreliable airspeed events could occur in clusters with incidents investigated. Finally, loss of instruments should be subject to enhanced training. As a result of the investigation, local mitigations were put into place, including:
Pre-pandemic, safety incidents involving insect infestation in the pitot tubes were rare, with a changing environmental climate, changes in aviation workforces and industry challenges infestations have become an increasing threat to operators. Operators are encouraged to keep this issue “alive” within the SMS and to consider how to pro-actively manage the threat, especially as we approach the summer months.
