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SYDNEY (REUTERS) – Regulators, insurers and experts are warning airlines to be especially careful when reactivating aircraft that were left in storage for a long time during the Covid-19 pandemic, citing possible pilot rust, maintenance errors and even nests of insects blocking key sensors.
The unprecedented number of planes grounded as coronavirus lockdowns blocked air travel, which at one point reached two-thirds of the world’s fleet, has created an increase in the number of reported problems as airlines they return them to service.
The number of “non-stabilized” or poorly managed approaches has increased dramatically this year, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata). Such mishaps can result in hard landings, runway overshoots, or even crashes.
Concerned about the Iata data, insurers are questioning airlines if they are conducting additional pilot training to focus on landings, said Gary Moran, director of aviation for Asia at insurance brokerage Aon PLC.
“They want to know about the circumstances of the training,” he said.
Approaches and landings place significant demands on the crew, so regular training and experience are considered essential.
According to the aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE, the largest category of fatal accidents can be traced back to the approach to an airport, while the largest number of non-fatal accidents occur during landing.
In May, a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed after an unstable approach, killing 97 people, while 18 were killed in an Air India Express crash landing in August, also after an unstable approach.
Insects in tubes
Training is not the only concern.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) has reported an “alarming trend” in the number of reports of unreliable speed and altitude readings during the first flight after a plane leaves the warehouse.
In some cases, takeoffs had to be abandoned or the aircraft had to return to base.
In most cases, the problem can be traced to undetected insect nests within the aircraft’s pitot tubes, pressure-sensitive sensors that feed key data to an avionics computer.
In June, a Wizz Air Holdings PLC aircraft stopped takeoff after the captain discovered that airspeed was zero.
Examination of the plane found insect larvae in one of the pitot tubes, and the plane had been parked for 12 weeks before the flight, the UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch said last month. There were no passengers on board.
Insects blocking a pitot tube contributed to the 1996 crash of a Birgenair-chartered plane in the Dominican Republic that killed all 189 people on board.
Kate Seaton, a Singapore-based aerospace partner at the HFW law firm, said flight crews should be aware of potential defects that might not have been correctly identified when the planes return to service after an unprecedented grounding.
“We are in new territory: the industry must take steps to mitigate risks, but must be prepared for the unexpected,” he said.
Honest evaluation
Easa said last month that problems encountered after prolonged parking included an in-flight engine shutdown after technical problems, fuel system contamination, reduced parking brake pressure and emergency batteries losing their charge.
“We have people coming back to work that are pretty rusty, which is a big problem,” said Moran of Aon insurance company.
Airlines have developed training programs for pilots re-entering service ranging from theoretical review to multiple simulator sessions and supervised in-flight checks, depending on the length of absence.
Australia’s aviation regulator said on November 30 that its inspectors would step up surveillance for Covid-19-related risks involving re-entry into service, pilot training and security risk management for the remainder of the year through 2018. June 30, 2021.
Pilots should also make an honest assessment of their skills and confidence when returning to work, said the representative of the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations, Peter Meiresonne, at an industry webinar in October.
They may have to decline offers like shorter landing approaches from air traffic control if they don’t feel ready, he said.
“Maybe now is a good time to say, ‘We can’t today’ or ‘Give us a six or 10-mile alignment instead of a four-mile alignment,’ which you could accept when you are more proficient and ) most recent, “he said.
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