Tue, Oct 31, 2006
Pilots Could Lose Control If Seats Move
Years ago, Cessna was
hit with an Airworthiness Directive (AD) to ensure that its pilot
seats would not suddenly fly back on its rails when the aircraft
took off. The effect of a pilot pulling back all the way back on
the yoke during departure could certainly be catastrophic and
several planes went down when the pilots lost control after their
seats moved all the way aft. The fix was a simple metal lock,
to ensure the seats stayed where the pilot placed them.
Now, the FAA has issued an AD (2006-22-04) for just about
all Airbus aircraft currently flying, for essentially the same
reason.
Of course, on a fancy airplane like the Airbus, it's not just a
simple pin in a hole along the seat rail that keeps the seat in
place. An actuator used to move the pilot's and co-pilot's seat
forward and aft, must be inspected because of reports of heavy wear
to the gears. The fix will, as the FAA says, "prevent uncommanded
movement of the seat during takeoff or landing, which could result
in interference with the operation of the airplane and consequent
temporary loss of airplane control."
(As any pilot will tell you who has had his seat roll back
during take-off, there is no more helpless feeling as you watch
your instrument panel disappear in the distance, or hold onto the
yoke like a grab bar and find the nose angling up like an F-15 on
afterburner. If you are wearing one of those seatbelts that
automatically cinch up to prevent any slack, the results can be
quite frightening. If you don't have a copilot, timely recovery may
be impossible -- Ed.)
The FAA airworthiness directive matches a French AD, and is
estimated to affect about 743 airplanes of US registry. It becomes
effective December 4, 2006... and the estimated cost to the
airlines for the fix will be about half a million dollars.
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