What has Age got to do with Safety?
Like most previous air crashes in Nigeria, the crash of the Dana Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83 operating as flight 992 that killed 153 people on board the plane and several on ground has raised the controversial issue of age and safety of aircraft operating in Nigeria as many tried to rationalize the cause of the crash.
It is happening even when the Accident Investigation Bureau is yet to conclude its investigation to the cause of the crash
The National Assembly also lent its voice to the discourse.
The three day hearing on the inquiry to the crash also helped in fueling the controversies as regards the age of airplanes operating in Nigeria in relation to safety. In the hearing both houses shamefully displayed gross ignorance on the subject.
During the discourse on the issue of age on the online blogs, newspaper articles and social networking sites, i cringed when i saw the way the commentators were displaying highest level of ignorance on the subject and what amused me the most was when someone in an article in Punch Newspaper advocated that the Federal Government should ban aircraft that are above the age of 10!. What annoys me most about the comments is that most of those that are writing don't know anything about aviation or airplanes and they are fueling the controversies as relating to that issue. Airplanes that above 10 years old are still flying in America, Europe and other parts of the world and besides it does not make much sense for an airline or even the aviation regulators to phase out or ban aircraft above 10 years from operating.
One thing that came to my mind was that the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority must have their work cut out and do everything possible to reinstate public confidence in the aviation industry.
On the average most of the airplanes operating in Nigeria are above 15 years old, and all these are nessesary to reinstate public confidence in air travel
It is six months now, and now the dust on the Dana crash seems to have settled as the airline now battles to pay compensation to its victims. The discourse about the age of airplanes seems to have rested and may become a hot topic after (God forbid) another plane crashes again.
The drop in passenger traffic during that period and even now may not be unconnected with the failure of the relevant agencies and professionals to clear the air on the controversial subject.
So now what has age got to do with safety?
In aviation, an airplane begins to age the moment it begins its first flight and when various effects begins to occur.
In regards, age of aircraft can only be a safety issue (regardless of whether it is day old or 20 years old) but with adequate maintenance the issue can be mitigated.
An airplane is generally designed to withstand corrosion and fatigue. Damage tolerance is a popular method of designing for fatigue.
This method assumes that cracks will occur and this can be managed by regularly checking for cracks. Such inspections assumes that cracks can be identified before they reach a critical point. Regular inspection ensures that worn out and damaged parts are replaced before it becomes a safety issue.
Age does not affect the safety of an aircraft, rather maintenance that determines the safety of an airplane. Strict adherance to maintenance is what maters the most as far as flight safety is concerned.
A 20 year old Boeing 737 that is well maintained periodically and when it is due is better than a 1 year old Boeing 737 that is badly maintained. Manufacturer's support is needed when performing maintenance program on airplanes which controls aging.
Airlines in developed parts of the world phase out aged airplanes not because of safety reasons and airworthiness issues but because of the high cost of maintaining them. The more an airplane gets older the more the cost of maintaining it rises. Thus a new aircraft is less expensive to maintain than an older aircraft.
The issue of age of aircraft as regards safety came to the front burner, when on May 4 2002, an EAS BAC 1-11 crashed in Kano killing 64 passengers and 7 crew members. As part of its 'safety measure' government imposed restriction on age on airplanes operating in Nigeria (the crashed EAS jet was built in 1980 and was 22 at the time of the crash). The government did not stop at that, it even went as far as banning the BAC 1-11 from flying as a result of the crash. The crash of Flight 4226 was due to pilot error rather than age
Age does not guarantee the safety of an aircraft as younger airplanes have crashed too. On June 2009, an Air France Airbus A330-200 crashed killing all the 228 people on board. At the time of the crash, the plane was only four years old. Pilot errors and technical problems were found to be the contributory causes to the crash. Also a Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 that crashed in 2007 was seven months old at the time of the crash. Pilot error was the cause of the crash.
When talking about age, things to consider are how many kilometers the plane has logged in, the flight hours logged and the pressurization cycles. the higher the mileage, the pressurization and hours logged the older the plane is. It is the hours, KMs and pressurization logged that counts as far as age is concerned and not the year. A Boeing 737-200 that has logged in say 1800 hrs of flying time and has traveled 1.2million kilometers as well as 5,000 cabin pressurization cycles is technically younger than a Boeing 737-800 that has logged in 20,000 hours of flying time and has logged in 80, 000 cabin pressurization cycles. Age is only a number. Age is only put into consideration when it does not make economic sense to maintain it. An airplane is a machine. An airplane that is not regularly used is prone to having technical faults than the one that is well used.
Three components that are important in maintaining an aircraft are the, Fuselage, Auxiliary Power Unit ( other wise known as the APU), and the Engines. If an airline decides to replace a 20 or 25 year old aircraft' engine with brand new ones through overhauling, the aircraft is as good as a new one.
The Dana Air MD-83 that went down in June was built in 1990. Airplanes older than the crashed plane are still in airline service around the world, including America and Europe. Northwest is still flying its DC-9s that are over 30 years old. The MD-83 that is tagged as a 'flying coffin' in Nigeria is still very much in airline service in America and Europe and it is reputed to have one of the safest and one of the most profitable airplanes in the world. American Airlines is the main user of the MD-80 series, the planes that were grounded months earlier before the Dana plane crash was for safety inspections and they have since returned to airline service. Scandinavian Airlines also operate the aircraft type. Crashes involving the MD-80s have being attributed to improper maintenance and pilot errors rather than the plane it self.
Government should focus more on ensuring that airlines conform to the best safety practices rather than imposing age restriction on airplanes operating in country. advanced countries don't impose age restrictions on the age of aircraft operating in the country and they don't ban airplanes simply because they were involved in a crash. Government should ensure the airports are equipped with well maintained relevant equipment at the various airport and airlines should train their flight crews periodically. It is not just about maintenance that matters in safety, human factor is also a factor as most crashes have being attributed to human errors whether as a result of improper maintenance or improper flying. Maintenance mechanics too should also be trained.
The Government should also create the enabling environment for airlines to operate effectively
It is happening even when the Accident Investigation Bureau is yet to conclude its investigation to the cause of the crash
 | |
| Dana Air MD-83. Photo Credit Airliners.net |
The three day hearing on the inquiry to the crash also helped in fueling the controversies as regards the age of airplanes operating in Nigeria in relation to safety. In the hearing both houses shamefully displayed gross ignorance on the subject.
During the discourse on the issue of age on the online blogs, newspaper articles and social networking sites, i cringed when i saw the way the commentators were displaying highest level of ignorance on the subject and what amused me the most was when someone in an article in Punch Newspaper advocated that the Federal Government should ban aircraft that are above the age of 10!. What annoys me most about the comments is that most of those that are writing don't know anything about aviation or airplanes and they are fueling the controversies as relating to that issue. Airplanes that above 10 years old are still flying in America, Europe and other parts of the world and besides it does not make much sense for an airline or even the aviation regulators to phase out or ban aircraft above 10 years from operating.
One thing that came to my mind was that the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority must have their work cut out and do everything possible to reinstate public confidence in the aviation industry.
On the average most of the airplanes operating in Nigeria are above 15 years old, and all these are nessesary to reinstate public confidence in air travel
 |
| A Hi-Fly Airbus A310-310 Photo credit: Airliners.net. |
The drop in passenger traffic during that period and even now may not be unconnected with the failure of the relevant agencies and professionals to clear the air on the controversial subject.
 |
| A Triax Airlines Boeing 727-100 |
So now what has age got to do with safety?
In aviation, an airplane begins to age the moment it begins its first flight and when various effects begins to occur.
In regards, age of aircraft can only be a safety issue (regardless of whether it is day old or 20 years old) but with adequate maintenance the issue can be mitigated.
An airplane is generally designed to withstand corrosion and fatigue. Damage tolerance is a popular method of designing for fatigue.
This method assumes that cracks will occur and this can be managed by regularly checking for cracks. Such inspections assumes that cracks can be identified before they reach a critical point. Regular inspection ensures that worn out and damaged parts are replaced before it becomes a safety issue.
Age does not affect the safety of an aircraft, rather maintenance that determines the safety of an airplane. Strict adherance to maintenance is what maters the most as far as flight safety is concerned.
 |
| Arik Air Boeing 737-700 |
A 20 year old Boeing 737 that is well maintained periodically and when it is due is better than a 1 year old Boeing 737 that is badly maintained. Manufacturer's support is needed when performing maintenance program on airplanes which controls aging.
Airlines in developed parts of the world phase out aged airplanes not because of safety reasons and airworthiness issues but because of the high cost of maintaining them. The more an airplane gets older the more the cost of maintaining it rises. Thus a new aircraft is less expensive to maintain than an older aircraft.
The issue of age of aircraft as regards safety came to the front burner, when on May 4 2002, an EAS BAC 1-11 crashed in Kano killing 64 passengers and 7 crew members. As part of its 'safety measure' government imposed restriction on age on airplanes operating in Nigeria (the crashed EAS jet was built in 1980 and was 22 at the time of the crash). The government did not stop at that, it even went as far as banning the BAC 1-11 from flying as a result of the crash. The crash of Flight 4226 was due to pilot error rather than age
Age does not guarantee the safety of an aircraft as younger airplanes have crashed too. On June 2009, an Air France Airbus A330-200 crashed killing all the 228 people on board. At the time of the crash, the plane was only four years old. Pilot errors and technical problems were found to be the contributory causes to the crash. Also a Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 that crashed in 2007 was seven months old at the time of the crash. Pilot error was the cause of the crash.
When talking about age, things to consider are how many kilometers the plane has logged in, the flight hours logged and the pressurization cycles. the higher the mileage, the pressurization and hours logged the older the plane is. It is the hours, KMs and pressurization logged that counts as far as age is concerned and not the year. A Boeing 737-200 that has logged in say 1800 hrs of flying time and has traveled 1.2million kilometers as well as 5,000 cabin pressurization cycles is technically younger than a Boeing 737-800 that has logged in 20,000 hours of flying time and has logged in 80, 000 cabin pressurization cycles. Age is only a number. Age is only put into consideration when it does not make economic sense to maintain it. An airplane is a machine. An airplane that is not regularly used is prone to having technical faults than the one that is well used.
Three components that are important in maintaining an aircraft are the, Fuselage, Auxiliary Power Unit ( other wise known as the APU), and the Engines. If an airline decides to replace a 20 or 25 year old aircraft' engine with brand new ones through overhauling, the aircraft is as good as a new one.
 |
| American airlines MD-83 |
The Dana Air MD-83 that went down in June was built in 1990. Airplanes older than the crashed plane are still in airline service around the world, including America and Europe. Northwest is still flying its DC-9s that are over 30 years old. The MD-83 that is tagged as a 'flying coffin' in Nigeria is still very much in airline service in America and Europe and it is reputed to have one of the safest and one of the most profitable airplanes in the world. American Airlines is the main user of the MD-80 series, the planes that were grounded months earlier before the Dana plane crash was for safety inspections and they have since returned to airline service. Scandinavian Airlines also operate the aircraft type. Crashes involving the MD-80s have being attributed to improper maintenance and pilot errors rather than the plane it self.
 |
| SAS MD-80 |
The Government should also create the enabling environment for airlines to operate effectively
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