FAA Warns Carriers
Transporting Heavy Vehicles
The FAA issued a new Safety Alert
for Operators (SAFO) 13005
to ensure that cargo carriers transporting heavy vehicles review all loading and
securing procedures necessary for safe operations. The alert appears to be in
response to the Boeing 747
takeoff accident at Bagram air base in Afghanistan on April 29. One cause
being investigated in that accident is the shifting of vehicular cargo aboard
the aircraft just after takeoff that may have left the freighter uncontrollable.
The alert is designed “to re-emphasize current policy and guidance concerning
weight-and-balance control procedures, cargo loading procedures, loading
schedules and loading instructions.” The notice reminds pilots, loadmasters and
dispatchers that special vehicle loads require significant restraints beyond the
typical cargo pallet. It also emphasizes that individual operators are
responsible for ensuring all personnel involved in the process of loading,
securing and unloading the aircraft are properly trained. Training should
include ensuring that aircraft tie-down limitations are never exceeded and that
restraint requirements are calculated for longitudinal, lateral and vertical
forces that might be encountered aloft. The SAFO makes it clear that even
something as simple as use of tie-downs of different lengths could create a
significant in-flight hazard.
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