Aeronautical Engineering & Aircraft Accident Causes

AI Thread Summary
Aeronautical engineers can indeed be at fault in aircraft accidents due to design or construction errors, although most accidents are attributed to maintenance issues, pilot error, or unforeseen circumstances. Historical examples like the DC-10's cargo door issue and the Comet's square windows illustrate how design flaws can have catastrophic consequences. The discussion highlights that while checks are in place, mistakes can slip through, leading to serious incidents. Understanding material fatigue, particularly in aluminum, is crucial for safety, as demonstrated by the Comet crashes. Overall, human error remains a significant factor in aviation mishaps.
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hey guys
i just want to know if an aeronautical engineer fault in designing or in building the aircraft could cause an aircraft accident?
 
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yes.
 


rbeale's answer is as good as you're going to get with such a vague question.

I think you don't need us to tell you that - if the aeronautical engineer pulled out his Imperial slide rule instead of his metric slide rule when attempting to choose the appropriate wing-mount bolts - it could indeed result in an aircraft accident.

Perhaps you could elaborate.
 


We would like to think that there are enough checks in the release system that things get caught. However things get through and analyses are sometimes carried out improperly. In most cases, the blame, legally, is taken by the company.
 


There have been instances of companies making mistakes that resulted in accidents, as happens in any industry. The one that immediately comes to mind is the cargo door issue on DC-10's. The vast majority of air disasters, however, are the result of poor maintenance, pilot error, freak accidents (including unforeseen weather or bird strikes), and other after-sale circumstances.
 


Danger said:
The one that immediately comes to mind is the cargo door issue on DC-10's.
Or the one that destroyed a country's aircraft industry = the Comet's square windows
 


I must admit, Mgb, that I had to Google that. I was unaware of it.
 


You didn't know about the Comet? Oh Danger...That aircraft single handedly kicked GB out of the airliner business. I guess we should thank DeHavilland.
 


Aparently, boeing had a faulty design on the DC-10's landing gear. It failed on landing in China and killed a bunch of people. (I believe beoing now owns the DC-10).
 
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Boeing and Mac-Doug merged in 1996 or 1997. That was way after production stopped IIRC. I think Boeing didn't have much to do with any landing gear issues.

What crash are you talking about? I had not heard of a crash in China and can't find any reference to one. Although the DC-10 did have a pretty rough start.
 
  • #11


mgb_phys said:
Or the one that destroyed a country's aircraft industry = the Comet's square windows

There was also a test procedure to blame for not revealing the true fatigue life of the fuselage section near the window corner. They applied proof pressures to the cabin during the pressure fatigue cycling test, which is believed to have left residual compressive stresses at the crack origin. This lead the designers to believe they had a much longer safe life.
 
  • #12


FredGarvin said:
You didn't know about the Comet?

I'm afraid that I'm not much into history. As hard as it might be to believe from my picture, the Comet incidents actually occurred couple of years before I started flying.
 
  • #13


rbeale98 said:
There was also a test procedure to blame for not revealing the true fatigue life of the fuselage section near the window corner.
The didn't understand that the fatigue curve for aluminium is very different form a metal like steel that work hardens.
WWII aluminium planes weren't pressurized an so didn't have the stress cycles.

In a way it was lucky - the research into why the comet crashed discovered a lot about Al.
 
  • #14


FredGarvin said:
Boeing and Mac-Doug merged in 1996 or 1997. That was way after production stopped IIRC. I think Boeing didn't have much to do with any landing gear issues.

What crash are you talking about? I had not heard of a crash in China and can't find any reference to one. Although the DC-10 did have a pretty rough start.

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  • #15


Cyrus said:
UK5te5Yp0_8[/youtube][/QUOTE] Ouch!
 
  • #17


DaveC426913 said:
rbeale's answer is as good as you're going to get with such a vague question.

I think you don't need us to tell you that - if the aeronautical engineer pulled out his Imperial slide rule instead of his metric slide rule when attempting to choose the appropriate wing-mount bolts - it could indeed result in an aircraft accident.

Perhaps you could elaborate.

what are blue chips from china that have to do with sattelitle comm's.? i need to know BAD...i don't know if i am being tricked or if it's the end of the world. why do they cost 8.3 million u.s. $ for a few, is this really spam or is some thing bad going on. you are an engineer, you know what i am talking about. you can help this china man with his problem of communication mix ups. i don't know what to do, I've tried everything and i am afraid it's real. will you help us...all the people who are being called emailed or asked about this propasal and feels afraid about the fact that we don't know who is real or not any more because we live on the Earth talking to each other through boxes and wires instead the way we remember a long time ago when we dreamed as a human kind rather than these unrealistic lifestyles and expectations normal people are expected to contend. only because you can count on my reality and you are knowlegeable. thanks no time. i had a dream last night i swallowed a hornet and he didn't sting me, we we're friends, he sat on my fingers and kilt spiders. why can't why's be answered and why do we only say why when we have no other way to express ourselves in ways everyone can understand...and here: human error is the cause of most idiodic and embarrassing failures wether it's air, space, or water...or you walking and innocently missing a few steps and fall.
 
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