FAA Seeks Extra Warning Device for Takeoff Alarms

The Federal Aviation Administration told the airlines Tuesday that it wants an additional warning device in the cockpits of all U.S. commercial jetliners to tell pilots if the critical takeoff alarm system is working.

The proposed directive, expected to go into effect early next year and give airlines another year to comply, would affect about 3,700 large commercial jets, the FAA said.

Commercial jetliners have alarm systems that are supposed to warn pilots if the plane’s critical control devices, such as wing flaps, are not in the proper position for a takeoff.

Malfunction Feared

But in at least two recent crashes it is suspected that the alarms failed to sound because of a malfunction. A spot check earlier this year of Boeing 727 aircraft showed 35 cases in which the alarms either failed or did not operate properly, according to the FAA.

The FAA said in a proposed order Tuesday that it wants the airlines to install in cockpits of all large commercial jets an additional warning light that would go on if power has been disrupted to the takeoff warning system.

The modification, which likely would be made during a plane’s routine maintenance, would apply to aircraft manufactured by Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Lockheed and Airbus Industrie, the European consortium, as well as foreign manufacturers of smaller jets such as Fokker and British Aerospace.

Will Cost $1,050 Each

“You’re talking about the entire (U.S.) passenger fleet of large jet airplanes,” FAA spokesman Fred Farrar said. The additional warning devices are expected to cost $1,050 per aircraft to install, he said.

Airlines have until February to comment on the proposal, after which the FAA is expected to issue a mandatory requirement.

The alarm systems have been a focus of attention in major crashes in the last 15 months.

Failed to Set Flaps

The crash on Aug. 16, 1987, of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 during takeoff from Detroit’s Metro International Airport was blamed on the failure of the crew to set the plane’s wing flaps properly for takeoff, inhibiting its ability to gain lift. The crash of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 claimed 156 lives.

Investigators also are examining the possibility of an improper flap setting in the crash of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 727 near Dallas last August in which 14 of the 108 people aboard were killed.

In neither case did the takeoff alarm sound, warning the crew that the aircraft might not be in proper configuration for departure.