Introduction
Safety is a pivotal concern in the civil aviation sector. Defects in any system’s work might lead to disastrous outcomes, including the deaths of all passengers and crew. For this reason, the existing recommendations from regulatory agencies, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), emphasize the need for clear and compelling maintenance to avoid potential complications during flights and ensure a high level of safety for all individuals.
Additionally, the crew and ground personnel should be trained and qualified to perform maintenance and troubleshooting to identify potential malfunctions or factors that might lead to a crash. Unfortunately, there are still accidents caused by ineffective assessment or troubleshooting, such as the Air Illinois Flight 710. That is why recognizing the significance of aviation maintenance and developing guidelines for a practical, comprehensive inspection process are crucial for safety.
Background
The example of Air Illinois Flight 710 evidences the critical importance of maintenance procedures in civil aviation. The investigation of the accident shows that the primary cause of the disaster was a malfunction of the electronic system (National Transportation Safety Board, 1985). The pilots discovered the problems with the generator system. The left generator failed. The pilot mistakenly isolated the right generator and the generator bus bar from the airplane’s electric distribution system, while the following attempts to restore the generator failed (National Transportation Safety Board, 1985).
Moreover, the erroneous decision to continue the flight was accepted (National Transportation Safety Board, 1985). The investigation of the case shows that the combination of both factors, such as the poor work of one of the central plane’s systems and the inability to evaluate the current state, resulted in the crash and numerous deaths. It means there is a critical need for more effective approaches to inspection, training, and maintenance. Otherwise, there are serious risks of accidents of this sort.
Role of a Maintenance Technician
Thus, inspection is one of the central aspects necessary to ensure the proper condition of aircraft and flight safety. Inspection, whether visual or with additional tools, is an integral part of aircraft engine maintenance (Aust & Pons, 2022). However, because human operators perform the procedure in most cases, these activities are prone to human error (Aust & Pons, 2022).
False negatives increase the risk in aviation and, at the same time, lead to higher costs (Aust & Pons, 2022). Under these conditions, aviation maintenance technicians play a crucial role during the inspection process. Their competence and skills impact the aircraft’s state.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) introduced strict requirements for preparing and training these professionals and maintaining high safety standards (Beach, 2023). At the same time, technicians are required to master new approaches, such as augmented reality and inspection innovations (Aust & Pons, 2022). For this reason, the figure of a maintenance technician is central to flight safety, and guidelines should be designed with their role in mind.
Electrical Schematics
Electrical schematics and diagrams are essential tools that can help increase the effectiveness of troubleshooting and maintenance. It is a simple visual representation of an electrical system’s physical connections and layout (“Dynamic wiring diagrams,” n.d.). Currently, dynamic wiring diagrams help specialists improve analysis by adjusting the view to show either the entire system or its parts, and by identifying potential issues (“Dynamic wiring diagrams,” n.d.). It means that by using electrical schematics, a technician can understand how aircraft systems are expected to work.
Electrical malfunctions can also be detected using documentation and schemes. For instance, in the Air Illinois Flight 710 case, using electrical schematics before the flight could have helped avoid the crash by outlining how the systems were expected to work. Troubleshooting using the schematics can be more effective, as it outlines all parts that should be tested and provides relevant information about their normal functioning.
Repairing electrical systems can also be improved by using electrical schematics. Currently, there are clear guidelines for maintaining aircraft electrical systems and components (IATA, 2020). The recommendations outline the steps to ensure the proper functioning of all components and their accepted status (IATA, 2020). At the same time, the documentation for every critical system includes the electrical scheme and a description of its regular operation. Referring to the document, a maintenance technician can find the failure in one of the systems and understand whether it should be replaced.
The final checks can also be made using the guide and the electrical schematics (IATA, 2020). In this way, the ability to use this type of manual is essential for specialists responsible for inspecting planes and ensuring flight safety. Otherwise, there is a risk of erroneous decisions, such as in the discussed crash, that might lead to accidents and the complete failure of the electric system.
Aircraft Inspection Process
Therefore, the analyzed accident demonstrates that aircraft inspection is integral to aviation safety. The increased activity’s efficacy is key to avoiding failures during the flight. For this reason, a specific inspection approach can be established for the aspects mentioned above.
First, visual inspection of all aircraft parts is necessary to ensure safe aircraft operation (Aust et al., 2021). However, the reliability of these inspections depends on several factors, including the aviation maintenance technician’s knowledge and cleanliness (Aust et al., 2021). This means a visual inspection should be performed after cleaning all critical parts to improve visibility of potential defects (Aust et al., 2021). Additionally, the technician should possess a certificate indicating that a specialist has the necessary skills and expertise to conduct inspections of this sort and to ensure that the aircraft’s central systems function appropriately and pose no risk of failure.
Second, the visual inspection should be followed by an in-depth investigation of all electrical systems using the scheme. As stated previously, this type of documentation outlines all critical components of the electric circuit, connections, and how they should work. Using the scheme, a technician should monitor responses from all junctions and determine whether any issues require addressing (“Dynamic wiring diagrams,” n.d.).
In this manner, all critical systems of the aircraft should be checked and double-checked to avoid possible complications during the flight. Furthermore, the batteries’ full-charge status and the generators’ state should be monitored (IATA, 2020). This approach should be used for every plane as part of standard takeoff preparation; otherwise, there is a high risk of accidents like those that occurred on Air Illinois Flight 710.
Finally, the inspection should imply the final check of all functions after completion of the first and second phases. It requires launching all systems during the aircraft’s pre-flight examination. It will allow maintenance technicians and pilots to monitor the operation of all critical systems, including electronic systems.
The generators, wires, connectors, and other circuit parts should respond appropriately and demonstrate stable function (IATA, 2020). If any issues are discovered, additional inspection and examination of possible causes, using the electrical schematics and the existing guidelines, should be conducted. The described approach to conducting the pre-flight examination of the aircraft will increase safety during flight and minimize the risk of failure during passage. The recommended approach also requires a maintenance technician to possess high competency, skills, and knowledge of the procedure and the components that should be checked first.
Conclusion
Altogether, the Air Illinois Flight 710 case shows the critical importance of the effective aircraft inspection process. The inability to detect defects in the electronic system’s work increases the risk of a crash. For this reason, establishing a practical procedure is vital to achieving better results and ensuring safety.
Aviation maintenance technicians should play a central role in preparing the plane for flight. They should possess outstanding expertise, knowledge, and understanding of conducting regular checks. The proposed method for electrical systems inspection includes visual assessment, using electrical schematics to control the operation of major systems and subsystems, and conducting a final inspection of all systems before takeoff. The given approach would reduce the risk of future accidents and enhance aircraft performance and safety.
References
Aust, J., Mitrovic, A., & Pons, D. (2021). Assessment of the effect of cleanliness on the visual inspection of aircraft engine blades: An eye tracking study. Sensors, 21(18).
Aust, J., & Pons, D. (2022). Assessment of aircraft engine blade inspection performance using attribute agreement analysis. Safety, 8(2), 23.
Beach, P. (2023). The complete aircraft inspection guide: Ensuring safety in the sky. SkyAviation.
Dynamic wiring diagrams: Maintenance efficiency on the 787. (n.d.). Boeing.com.
International Air Transport Association (IATA). (2020). Guidance for managing aircraft airworthiness for operations during and post pandemic.
National Transportation Safety Board. (1985). Aircraft accident report: Air Illinois Hawker Siddley HS 748-2A, N748LL near Pinckneyville, Illinois, October 11, 1983.