London, July 5: UK fibreglass mast manufacturer Pollite has reminded airports globally of the importance of installing thoroughly tested frangible ground handling infrastructure, in light of new recommendations released to Air India.
Recommendations from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India and the Ministry of Civil Aviation pertaining to the Mangalore Air Crash which claimed 158 lives in May 2010, asks airports in India to become more compliant with the requirement of frangibly-mounted structures, citing Calicut and Mangalore airport antennae supporting structures as examples.
The recommendations come in light of new figures that show 40% of occasions where air craft suffered overrun upon take off, ended in fatalities, backing up research from the CAA Safety Regulation Group that found there were 32 major accidents worldwide between 1996 and 2006, which resulted in 623 fatalities.
The importance of having frangible-mounted structures within airports is an issue that will never go away. Calicut and Mangalore airports have both installed frangible airport antennae that break upon impact, dramatically reducing the risk of fatalities upon runway take off errors. As one of just three approach mast manufacturers globally that are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Pollite understands more than most how crucial it is for ground handling equipment to break on impact in light of an aircraft take-off failure.
The FAA is strict on such matters, requiring airport infrastructure to go through a series of rigorous frangibility tasks, including solar radiation and salt spray testing. It is important for approach poles to be weather-proof and not vulnerable to the natural environment. Resistance to animals, wear and tear, extremes of temperature and magnetic interference are all important factors to consider to ensure that approach poles only break when you need them to – upon impact.
Comments
Add new comment