Acknowledged odour occurrences- (list not complete)- March,2003

The object of this paper is to collate and review  available data from various sources on the  number of fume related incidents/reports in aircraft. Only a small selection of data is available for review and does not take into account  under-reporting of incidents.

 

Ansett Australia- BAe 146 fume/ odour occurrences

Year

Maintenance/aircraft tech log Fume reports/no of BAe146 flights (Mandatory under Civil Aviation regulations) -Completed by pilot

No of BAe 146 flights

No  of reports-Mandatory

source

1992

1 per 66 flights

27778

418

Ansett Senate evidence (Hansard) 2/11/99 Final report 2.54 and Ansett update #8 30/7/98

1997

1 per 128 flights

 

189

1999 to June30

1 per 131 flights

22004

168

Ansett FA Information Kit May 2000-supp Senate volume and Final report 2.50

 

“ the source of the odours has been identified as predominantly Mobil Jet Oil 2 leaking past oil seals in the engines and /or Auxiliary Power Unit into the air conditioning system”

13 BAe 146 aircraft in Ansett fleet as at 9/1999

Ansett Senate evidence 2/11/99 p54

Ansett evidence to Senate, Volume 2, Sept 99

 

Aircraft maintenance technical log completed by pilot – mandatory as per Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR’s)

 

National Jet Systems / Qantas BAe 146 fume/odour occurrences

1999

Cabin air quality crew report-1 per 785 flights – over 1/fortnight- “not all but most of the fleet have experienced some sort of a report  It is not one aircraft”

 

Qantas Hansard 1/2/00 pp 125-126

1999

 

“As there are nearly 30,000 flights per year there is some sort of contamination reported … at 0.1%”

“Our incidence of oil leaks has been…  Around 0.1% of flights departed …  It is maybe around 1 per fortnight”

NJS Hansard 1/2/00 pp 135-138

4/01-9/02

NJS defect reports to CASA 4/01-9/02 –

51 defect reports-

Aust parliament Hansard- 2/12/02

1/00-8/02

 

16 ASIR  ATSB reports- NJS

ATSB, Senate Hansard, 19 Aug 02

Nov/Dec 2002

2002

 

 

Significant Increase in reports

 

In the calendar year, 2002, National Jet Systems removed 141 BAE146 engines from its aircraft fleet. The vast majority of those removals being related to cabin air quality issues.  It is pertinent to note that this experience is unique to Australia.  On International figures from other BAE146 fleets would expect to remove the maximum of 36 engines in a year having regard to the size of the National Jet System fleet

 

AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL

RELATIONS COMMISSION

U2002/6475

NEVAN PHILLIP PAVLINOVICH

and

NATIONAL JET SYSTEMS PTY LIMITED-18/3/03

 

British Aerospace –BAe 146

British Aerospace- Swedish BAe 146 Incident report- RL 2001:41e (www.havkom.se)

Period

No of reports passed to BAe

No of  reports involving impairment of  crew capacity

Reports judged as serious due negative effect on flight safety-(CAA-MOR)

Description

6/92-1/01

 

22 (flight crew)

7

 

1/96 – 9/99

212-1 airline operator

19 (7 submitted directly by crew)

 

Tainted cabin air

5/85- 12/00

227-36 (other) operators

11

 

Contaminated cabin air

 

Reports of cabin air odours have been received from time to time and have predominantly been determined to be due to minor systems failures such as leaks from oil seals on the aircraft engines or APU”

“every engine leaks oil from it’s seals and bearings … as recently as 1996-97 we continued to improve the sealing properties of the bearings and the seals”

"we all acknowledge ....  that the modifications will not solve the problem completely  They are to reduce the number of events and that is what is important".

"the modifications are really around the reliability of the seals and making sure that they do not fail as frequently  So they are improvements to reliability, rather than improving the quality of the sealing."

"The air supply is protected from contamination by seals, which achieve maximum efficiency during steady state operation  However, they may be less efficient during transients (engine acceleration or deceleration) or whilst engine is still achieving an optimum operating temperature  Improvements in seal design continue to increase efficiency, and when available, modifications are provided for the engines and APU.”

BAe- evidence to Australian Senate Vol 1, sub11 3/9/99

BAe Senate Hansard 2/11/99 p 85

 

BAe Senate Hansard

10/4/00 p 236

 

p229

 

 

BAe Manufacturer’s Operations manual-Notice to Aircrew and BAe All Operator Message-Ref 00/030V, Jan 01

CASA-Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia

 

NJS defect reports to CASA 4/01-9/02 – 51 reports-Aust parliament Hansard- 2/12/02

 

 

CASA web site defect reports-1996-2001 –BAe 146

http://www.casa.gov.au/avreg/aircraft/sdr/turbine.htm

22+ reports of fumes / seal bearing defects /oil contamination –ALF 502R5 and ALF 507 engines

year

reports

2001

8

2000

5

1999

3

1997

4

1996

2

 

CAA-Civil Aviation Authority- UK

 Years

Fume reports

Notes

Source

1989-1999

 

1: 22,265 flights

128 incidents in 2,850,000 flights

Total smoke or gas fume reports - 5 aircraft types on UK register

·               17-BAe 146 20- A320

·               21- B757 33- B737

CAA, 1999

1996

1999

2000 (to Nov)

 

81

156

124

Smoke, odours, fumes

“the number of reported incidents per annum of smoke, odours, fumes etc  entering UK aircraft flight decks or passenger cabins over the past 5 years or so has increased from 81 in 1996 to 156 in 1999, and 124 to date in the year 2000  The letter was written on 30 November and there may have been further incidents subsequently”

DETR correspondence. M Meacher MP to P Tyler MP 30/11/00, House of Commons Hansard, 16/1/01

 

1985-2002

64

BAe 146-MOR’s (Mandatory Occurrence Reports)

“ smoke and or fumes” – oil / smoke / fumes and other contamination incl  de-ice/hyd fluid

§                     1985-1995 -11

§                     1996-2001 -52

MOR reports - CAA Mandatory Occurrence reports

Including 1999-2001: 21 cases involving crew illness/ incapacitation-impairment of which 4 involved 2 flight crew

1992-2002

56

B 757-MOR’s

“ smoke and or fumes” – oil / smoke / fumes and other contamination

·               1992-1998 -12

·               1999-2001 –33

·               9/01-12/02 -11

Including in 2001: 18 cases involving ‘crew illness/ incapacitation’ of which 11 involved 2 flight crew

 

FAA –Federal Aviation Administration -USA

167 incidents in 10 years to 2001 - BBC file on 4, Dec 01

 

Air Safety Bureau Incidents oil fumes/air conditioning and associated- (BAe 146 except where marked)

Bureau

Date

No of incidents and aircraft type

Source

ATSB Australia

1991-1999

10 – BAe 146 –

12 - 7 Jet aircraft types (excluding BAe 146)

http://www.basi.gov.au/occurs/ob199702276.htm -NJF,7/97

Brisbane Incident- 1997

Hamilton Island Incident- 29/10/97

ATSB- summary of fume/smoke /odour related occurrences **

ATSB

Senate report

ATSB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATSB

 

 

 

 

11/99-5/01

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/ 00- 8/02

8 –BAe 146 -

5 – B737 and 767

http://www.basi.gov.au/occurs/ob200002431.htm -NJL,30/4/00
http://www.basi.gov.au/occurs/ob200000176.htm -NJL, 1/00

Occ- 200001175, - JJZ 31/3/00

Occ- Occurrence 200001331 - JJP 13/4/00

16 reports- NJS- ATSB

 

 

 

http://www.atsb.gov.au/aviation/occurs/occurs_detail.cfm?ID=400  NJA, 7/8/01

 

http://www.atsb.gov.au/aviation/occurs/occurs_detail.cfm?ID=399  JJU 18/7/01

 

http://www.atsb.gov.au/aviation/occurs/occurs_detail.cfm?ID=398 NJR 31/5/01

 

http://www.atsb.gov.au/aviation/occurs/occurs_detail.cfm?ID=427 NJY, 24 May2001

 

 

 

 

Aust Senate Hansard-RRAT, 31/5/01

ATSB

 

 

Senate evidence and Hansard 1/5/00

 

Aust Senate Hansard- Aug19,2002

 

ATSB

Board of Accident Investigation-Sweden

12/11/99

1- BA 146 - RL 2001:41e

Statens Haverikommission

AAIU Ireland

24/11/97

1- BAe 146

http://www.irlgov.ie/tec/aaiu/1998Reports/1998-010.htm

AAIU

AAIB

 

 

14/3/00

 

5/11/00

 

 

 

 

7/11/00

8/2/01

19/5/01

10/11/02

2- BAe 146

§                     http://www.aaib.detr.gov.uk/bulletin/aug01/oodjs.htm

§                     see -MOR Occ-200008340 –not released

 

 

4-B757

§                     MOR200008363

 MOR200100784

 MOR200103267

MOR200208123

 

 

AAIB

 

CAA BAe 146 MOR report (see AAIB recommendations in above Swedish BAe 146 report- p26)

 

CAA B757 MOR report

** ATSB summary of fume/smoke/odour related occurrences 1991-1999 include oil fumes/ galley / hydraulic, electrical fumes , other and no source found- 148 incidents- (reported as 93 Aust Senate Inq hansard, 1/11/99. However events listed in table above  refer to oil fumes. Air conditioning & related incidents.

 

BAe 146 odour Ocurrence Reports -Discretional