THE AIRLINE PILOTS FORUM & RESOURCE

Contaminated Air and FODCOM

Source: Aviation Contaminated Air Reference Manual

FODCOM number 17/2000 ©	10th April 2008
by Susan Michaelis

The UK Civil Aviation Authority finally took a firmer stance after at least 16 years of contaminated air problems on the BAe 146 by issuing a Safety Regulatory Group Flight Operations Department Communication or FODCOM as it is known in the trade. The FODCOM number 17/2000 was issued by Captain D J Chapman, Head Flight Operations Department on 28 December 2000. The relevant parts of FODCOM 17/2000 are shown below:

3 INCAPACITATION PROCEDURES

3.1 There have been a number of recent incidents where, due to smoke or fumes entering the aircraft, both pilots of a Multi-Pilot aircraft have been affected to the extent that their ability to operate the aircraft may have been impaired. This highlighted two important training points; incapacitation drills and the use of oxygen masks.

3.2 Incapacitation Drills Incapacitation drills have been designed to ensure the continued safe flight of a Multi-Pilot aircraft in the event that one of the pilots becomes incapacitated. The situation where both pilots become incapacitated at the same time has been considered so remote that no procedures have been evolved to cope with the occurrence. However, it may be possible in the event of a malfunction in the engine or air conditioning systems which causes toxic fumes to enter the flight deck as has happened in a recent incident. Operators should, therefore, consider this possibility and provide some guidance to their crews, including cabin staff, to be aware of the chance of such an event.

3.2.1 The first action in the event of smoke or fumes in the flight deck should be for the flight crew to don oxygen masks and establish communications.

3.2.2 Training Inspectors have noted a reluctance by crews to use oxygen masks when carrying out recurrent training in simulators. Operators should ensure that these masks are worn when the drills require this and that pilots regularly practise donning the masks so that they are able to put them on quickly in difficult situations. Routine training/checking should include approaches flown with oxygen masks on.

3.2.3 If during line flying it appears that both pilots are suffering from some form of incapacitation or that one pilot appears to be in any way incapacitated for no obvious reason, then the flight crew should don oxygen masks without delay.

• Emergency Checklists and Initial Crew Responses

• Defect Reporting

• Reporting Contaminated Air Events with Samples of Known Events

• Aviation Industry Could Have Acted

• Definition of Safety

• You are reading >> FODCOM (Flight Operations Department Communication) number 17/2000

• All Operators Message Ref 00/030V and Ref 01/004V

• Service Bulletin ISB 21-150

• Airworthiness Directive AD 002-03-2001

• When Change was Needed it did Not Occur

• FODCOM (Flight Operations Department Communication) number 14/2001 and 21/2002

• Service Bulletin 21-156

• Airworthiness Directive AD 003-10-2002

• US Airworthiness Directives

• Checklist Ambiguity Boeing and Airbus

• Cabin Crew and Exception to The Complacency Rule

• Are All Contaminated Air Events Safety Issues?

• CAA View of its Safety Responsibilities is Wrong

• Aviation Regulators Misinterpret Main Ventilation Airworthiness / Safety Standard

• Number of Cases of Crew Impairment

• Oxygen is Rarely Being Used

• National Bureaus of Air Safety

• So Where Are We Today?