Introduction
Aviation accidents that occur when aircraft integrity is compromised pose serious risks to flight safety and individuals’ health and well-being. The example of Aloha Airlines Flight 243 shows that the structural failure is linked to several factors that influence the likelihood of the disaster. The investigation revealed that significant disbanding and fatigue damage to joints were the primary causes of the event (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989).
At the same time, the defect arose from a combination of factors. These include inappropriate maintenance, lack of professionalism, and human factors. For this reason, addressing this problem requires altering current maintenance and inspection processes to ensure that defects are detected and that no similar issues arise in the air. Otherwise, there is a high risk of new events or crashes.
Inspection
The change in the inspection process is one of the first possible solutions to improve aviation safety. At the moment, inspection is performed at specific intervals by maintenance personnel, who visually inspect the aircraft’s interior, paying particular attention to any damage, leaks, or defective components (Scott et al., 2022). The engine oil levels, tire condition, and brake systems are also checked. However, a lack of professionalism, fatigue, or failure to use additional tools might lead to poor results and an inability to identify malfunctions or issues that should be reported immediately.
For this reason, it is possible to offer the improvements, implying the double checks performed by different teams. The results and their reports should be compared to guarantee that no problems were detected. The given method will also help reduce the risk of human error caused by fatigue, lack of knowledge or experience, or poor preparedness.
Procedural step
Furthermore, improvements in inspection and a reduction in accidents can be achieved by revisiting the current procedure and introducing new procedural steps that might boost effectiveness and prevent failures to detect defects. The existing regulations require 100-hour inspections after 100 hours of flight and annual inspections to verify that all systems function properly (Saleh et al., 2019). There are specific checklists, including the parts that should be given the most attention.
At the same time, the procedure and duration of maintenance might be unclear and vary across airports due to the lack of a standardized approach. For this reason, establishing clear, fixed guidelines is an essential procedural step. Furthermore, setting age limits is ineffective, as around 89% of components analyzed exhibit no wear-out (Scott et al., 2020). For this reason, critical systems checks should be performed to enhance safety regardless of the established age limits.
Change in Regulation
The analysis of Aloha Flight 243 also highlights problematic issues with the current regulations. First, the existing maintenance program was not effective at detecting defects of this sort or responding to them appropriately (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). Second, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) surveillance of programs of this sort was also insufficient, resulting in the inability to detect a defect (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). It means the Aloha Flight 243 accident revealed a systemic issue, such as the lack of attention to identifying and addressing structural failures. Under these conditions, it is critical to revise the existing regulation to establish a basis for practice improvement.
The FAA should assess maintenance quality through its representatives and through regular checks of the current approaches to analyzing the condition of planes used by various airlines. Furthermore, the competence of maintenance personnel should be regulated to avoid human-factor errors, which remain one of the leading causes of problems in aviation today (Saleh et al., 2019). The proposed regulatory change will lead to better outcomes and improve flight safety.
Program Strategy
In this way, the program strategy that could have prevented the accident should include the following aspects. First, it is critical to revise the current aircraft inspection approach and introduce double-checking. It will lead to a reduction in the number of previously undiscovered defects.
Second, the procedural steps should establish clear, understandable guidelines for regular plane inspections conducted by maintenance personnel, with no exceptions and regardless of age (Scott et al., 2022). The standard guidelines will also simplify FAA checks of maintenance procedures and help design a more practical approach to their implementation. Finally, it is critical to establish the basis for continuous, uninterrupted specialist training, as the lack of competence and knowledge leads to the failure to detect defects, as in the analyzed case, and to new crashes.
Importance of Aviation Maintenance Technician
The discussion of the question and the possible improvements shows that aviation maintenance technicians are at the center of all processes. The role of this specialist cannot be overestimated, as they are responsible for flight safety and aircraft condition. In many cases, particularly in the case discussed, the inability to detect defects critically increased the risk of a crash. That is why all possible interventions aimed at minimizing future accidents should focus on maintenance technicians and provide them with practical, more effective ways to perform their jobs. These might include new tools, safety protocols, guidelines, and training. Otherwise, there is a high risk of critical issues and an inability to perform functions appropriately.
Role in the Future
Furthermore, despite the rise of technology, aviation maintenance technicians will play a core role in the future. For instance, the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology fundamentally transforms the industry, including aviation inspection (Kabashkin et al., 2023). However, innovative tools augment human capabilities and perform some data analysis functions (Kabashkin et al., 2023).
A novel machine learning approach might help predict the thermal performance of aircraft and its components, thereby identifying parts that should be given greater attention during inspection due to their exposure to critical factors (Kabashkin et al., 2023). Nevertheless, findings of this sort will be processed to improve aviation technicians’ performance and capabilities. That is why it is likely they will continue to play a core role in ensuring flight safety.
Conclusion
Altogether, structural failures are one of the leading causes of crashes in aviation. For this reason, enhanced aircraft maintenance is the key to addressing the problem. Lessons from Aloha Airlines Flight 243 show that aviation technicians should be trained to reduce the likelihood of human error and remain capable of detecting defects, such as corrosion or other structural changes. It is also essential to improve maintenance procedures by introducing double-check practices, establishing standardized guidelines, and enhancing FAA surveillance. Finally, much attention should be given to technicians who are central in preparing planes for flights and minimizing risks.
References
Kabashkin, I., Misnevs, B., & Zervina, O. (2023). Artificial Intelligence in aviation: New professionals for new technologies. Applied Sciences, 13(21).
National Transportation Safety Board. (1989). Aircraft accident report: Aloha Airlines, Flight 243 Boeing 737-200, N73711, near Maui, Hawaii, April 29, 1988.
Saleh, J. H., Tikayat Ray, A., Zhang, K. S., & Churchwell, J. S. (2019). Maintenance and inspection as risk factors in helicopter accidents: Analysis and recommendations. PloSOne, 14(2).
Scott, M. J., Verhagen, W. J. C., Bieber, M. T., & Marzocca, P. (2022). A systematic literature review of predictive maintenance for defence fixed-wing aircraft sustainment and operations. Sensors, 22(18), 7070.