A new safety warning notice has been issued after the UK's Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Accident Investigation Branch have been told about three separate events of blocked pitot tubes occurring at London Heathrow Airport which could have caused a disaster.
These most recent events all took place between 9 June 2021 – 11 June 2021, where aircraft have been subject to pitot blockages which resulted in airspeed discrepancies and associated crew actions. All of the events are being investigated by the UK AAIB under normal ICAO Annex 13 investigation procedures. However, initial feedback seems to suggest a form of insect infestation may have
contributed to these events.
According to the CAA, all the aircraft involved were of different types and hadn't been used very much. The aircraft had been subject to parking for periods of 3 -7 days at various locations within the airport..
Because of the risks, the CAA advises all operators and maintenance crews to be aware of the issues and said that whilst the investigation is ongoing, such events may not be isolated to just London Heathrow and could affect many other aircraft at other airports.
The CAA also says that flight deck crews should be made aware of "this potential issue, reminded of the importance of the speed checks during the take-off roll and the actions to be taken in the case of a discrepancy, as well as the appropriate unreliable speed indications for their aircraft type should they discover the issue once airborne."
More top stories you might be interested in.....
Follow this site here.
