EASA Proposes Requirements for Tire Pressure Monitoring
- March 9, 2020, 12:02 PM
EASA Proposes Requirements
for Tire Pressure Monitoring
- March 9,
2020, 12:02 PM
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency
has issued a notice of proposed amendment (NPA) that would update large airplane
certification (CS-25) rules to provide a means for ensuring that no tire is
below its minimum serviceable inflation pressure during operation. Compliance
can be achieved either by requiring operators to perform tire pressure checks
at suitable time intervals or by installing a tire pressure monitoring system.
“Incorrect tire pressure, and, in
particular, under-inflation, is a contributing factor to tire- and
wheel-failure-related accidents or incidents of large airplanes,” EASA said.
“Onboard tire pressure monitoring systems and ground tire pressure indication
systems have been developed, certified, and are available on various types of
large airplanes.” However, despite recommendations from safety agencies,
including the NTSB, such systems are not mandated by EASA or FAA regulations.
Among examples of accidents related to
under-inflated tires cited in the NPA, was the fatal rejected takeoff crash of
Learjet 60 on Sept. 19, 2008, in Columbia, South Carolina. The NTSB determined
that tire pressures had not been checked for approximately three weeks and that
they had experienced a 2 percent loss of pressure per day. At the time of the
accident, the pressures of all four main gear tires were approximately 140 psi
instead of the recommended 219 psi.
The under-inflation resulted in the failure
of all four tires. In addition, tire fragments compromised some elements of the
aircraft’s hydraulic system. The NTSB’s investigation also identified that
there was a significant inconsistency in the operating community regarding the
pilot’s role in ensuring correct tire pressures before takeoff.
“Visual inspections of high-pressure tires,
such as those of the airplane involved in the accident, will not help to detect
an incorrectly inflated tire,” the Safety Board concluded. Comments on the NPA are due June 6.
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