Issue 4 | Volume 152 | October 7, 2019
theavion.com | (386) 226-6049
A Campus B Industry & Technology C Sports
Blue Skies and Tailwinds Mike Shekari Staff Reporter
A B-17 Flying Fortress, owned by The Collins Foundation, crashed near Bradly International Airport in Connecticut while trying to return to the airfield. After reporting difficulties gaining altitude last Wednesday, the tragic accident claimed the lives of seven and injured another nine, including three on the ground. The cause of accident is still under investigation, but there have been many voices questioning the safety of continuing to fly in vintage aircraft, including Forbes contributor Michael Goldstein. However, this accident should not be considered representative of vintage aircraft safety. Goldstein attempts to prove his argument by using examples of two other recent accidents involving vintage aircraft: A Junkers JU-52 that crashed in the Swiss Alps, and a Douglass DC-3 in Colombia. The cause of either of these accidents have yet to be determined and both examples take place outside the U.S., which has a much larger general aviation community and deeper expertise on maintaining continued airworthiness on older aircraft. However, it must be acknowledged that all flight operations, especially in the general aviation community, are inherently risky. There are several general aviation aircraft accidents that happen every week around the country. A quick Google search yielded four other general aviation aircraft accidents that occurred in the same week as the Collins
Foundation accident. There are several continuing airworthiness issues that older aircraft often have to contend with, such as accumulated fatigue stresses, life limited parts that are no longer produced by original equipment manufacturers, and a general lack of technical data to base maintenance off of. As these aircraft age, whatever data may have survived from manufactures over the years become rare finds for ancient planes. Leaving mechanics to rely on accepted practices manuals like AC 43.13-1B. Because of the known difficulties associated with maintaining vin-
tage aircraft, the task is not left to just any maintenance personnel. The individuals who work on warbirds from the Second World War and other vintage aircraft are specialists who have developed expertise in the practices of the eras where those aircraft first took flight. Maintainers painstakingly work to bring vintage airframes into safe condition over several years; even occasionally having to manufacture parts from scratch during an initial restoration. These aircraft often spend several months out of the year having preventative maintenance done to ensure pilot and passneger safety during annual educational
Photo Courtesy/303rd Bomber Group
and airshow tours. The pilots of vintage aircraft are also expertly qualified and have spent hundreds or even thousands of hours training to prepare for the challenges of flying aircraft that do not have the benefit of modern technologies. Vintage aircraft that have been cared for using accepted practices and piloted by a competent crew can be operated in a safe manner like any other general aviation activity. As an industry and a community, we must prove to an undereducated public our commitment to keep the skies safe, including the airworthiness of older aircraft.
Photo Courtesy/National Transportation Safety Board