The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fears that a faulty safety mechanism built into the bullet-proof doors of Boeing 787 Dreamliners could send a heavy panel flying toward the Captain’s head in just 20 to 50 milliseconds, possibly resulting in serious injury or even death.
The revelation has come to light in a proposed airworthiness directive that will require airlines to limit the movement of the Captain’s seat so that the pilot’s head is no longer in the path of the flying panel.
The panel is built into the cockpit door and is deliberately designed to fly off in the event of a sudden decompression event in the flight deck in order to equalise the pressure between the cockpit and the cabin.
The FAA says it has previously certified flight deck doors to have this special panel installed, but the agency has since concluded that in some circumstances, the panel could strike the Captain’s head or face, causing severe blunt-force trauma.
The exact circumstances in which this type of accident are incredibly rare and would require a flight deck decompression event to take place at the same time that the Captain (who always sits in the left-hand seat) is resting with the seat pushed all the way back and fully reclined.
Known as ‘controlled rest,’ many airlines allow one pilot to sleep during the cruise phase of the flight in order to prevent fatigue and being able to fully recline the pilot’s seat could be the difference between the Captain being able to achieve rest or not.
In response to the proposed airworthiness directive, some airlines said that the FAA’s proposal to fit a mechanical limiting device to the Captain’s seat could increase pilot fatigue.
British Airways told the FAA that the risk of pilot fatigue outweighed the low risk of a flight deck decompression event, while Air France said it might need to start crewing all Boeing 787 flights with three pilots so that they can get some rest in special crew bunks.
Similar concerns were raised by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines which told the FAA that it was concerned flight safety might be compromised because pilots won’t be able to take proper controlled rest.
The FAA, however, has dismissed those concerns, saying in an unpublished update that the “risk to flight crew is unacceptable and that delaying this action would be inappropriate.”
As a result, the FAA will require operators of all Boeing 787 models operating to the United States to install a mechanical limiter to the Captain’s seat. The FAA estimates that for US airlines alone, this retrofit project will cost nearly $250,000.
Airlines will have three years to make the necessary changes after the airworthiness directive is officially published. British Airways said supply chain constraints meant that the compliance date should be extended but this request was also rejected by the FAA.
Earlier this year, Boeing warned airlines about an issue with a secondary switch on both pilots’ seats of its 787 Dreamliner that could cause the seat to inadvertently move forward and push the pilot against the flight controls.
The alert was prompted by an incident in March when at least 50 passengers and crew were injured after a LATAM flight to Auckland suddenly nosedived when the Captain’s seat started moving forward and couldn’t be stopped.
It’s understood that the accident occurred when a flight attendant accidentally leaned on the secondary switch, which is located at the back of the headrest while delivering a meal to the Captain.
The switch is protected by a plastic cover, but Boeing discovered that the cover could become easily damaged, and when leaned on, the switch could then become jammed, forcing the seat forward.
Airlines have been urged to check the condition of the switches and covers to ensure a similar accident doesn’t occur.
The captain sits on the left seat, not the right seat as stated in the article
Good spot!