Recent cargo aircraft crashes due to fire spark calls for pilot oxygen mask improvements

A Boeing Co. 747 freighter crash in which two pilots died after inhaling fumes from a cargo of lithium batteries prompted investigators to call for full-face oxygen masks to be made mandatory in cockpits.

Development of mask-mounted thermal-imaging gear should also be explored, together with technology to improve visibility in smoke-filled cockpits and fire-suppression systems avoiding the need for crew to enter blazing cargo bays on larger planes, the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority said.

The findings come after a United Parcel Service (UPS) 747-400F crashed near Dubai in September 2010 when its crew became incapacitated following a cargo fire originating from a deck carrying a load of lithium batteries. The European Aviation Safety Agency and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration should also work with Boeing to assess whether the plane itself requires safety enhancements, the GCAA said on its website.

“If a deficiency in the current level of critical systems protection is determined, provide regulatory oversight to mitigate the risk of control and systems damage that can result from large cargo fires,” the GCAA said in the report today.

Two other freighter blazes have been linked to lithium battery shipments, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. An Asiana Airlines 747-400 went down in the South China Sea in 2011, killing both pilots, and a UPS Boeing DC-8 was destroyed by fire in 2006 after making an emergency landing in Philadelphia, with three crew members escaping.

Solo Pilot

The FAA and EASA should also draw up procedures for a scenario in which a crew member is incapacitated and the plane left with a single pilot. Cargo operators should be required to give instruction in a smoke simulator with full immersion training to replicate levels of continuous fumes, the GCAA said.

Since the Dubai crash, UPS has added full-face oxygen masks for pilots on all of Boeing 747 and MD-11 jets, the wide-body planes typically used on the longest freight routes.

UPS is adding the masks to other models including 767s and 757s, and they are pre-installed on Airbus A300 aircraft, the Atlanta-based company said in an e-mailed statement.

The cargo carrier has also installed a vision assurance system -- which lets pilots see clearly through smoke -- on its 747s, and has added oxygen masks for the jump-seat pilot.

UPS has separately purchased about 1,600 metal containers that can contain a fire for as many as four hours, plus 575 blaze-resistant covers for pallet-sized shipments. Enhanced employee training will also ensure workers recognize hazardous materials and undeclared shipments of flammable goods, it said.

While the GCAA said the cause of the Dubai fire was unclear, it suggested the FAA, EASA and Boeing evaluate the 747’s cargo bay to determine if a transfer of energy from the vibration of the fuselage to the batteries could somehow have ignited them.

 (Deena Kamel Yousef  - Bloomberg)