Fed: CASA releases draft rules for aircraft pressure alarms

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Fed: CASA releases draft rules for aircraft pressure alarms

By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA, April 25 AAP - Hundreds of small aircraft would be forced to fit alarms warningof deadly loss of cabin air pressure under draft rules released by Australia's air safetywatchdog today.

The regulations will be introduced as part of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority'sresponse to the crash of a Beech Super King Air craft which flew out of control acrossAustralia after losing cabin pressure in September, 2000.

The plane took off from Perth carrying eight people bound for the West Australian miningtown of Leonora.

But after the passengers and pilot lapsed into unconsciousness following the loss ofpressure, the plane flew on auto pilot until it ran out of fuel and crashed in Queensland'sGulf country, killing all aboard.

The crash made newspaper headlines nationwide and delivered a serious blow to publicconfidence in light commercial passenger aircraft.

CASA said audible pressurisation alarms would be fitted to more than 400 small aircraft,including 15 types of small jets and over 20 models of turboprop aircraft.

"CASA wants the audible pressure alarms to be fitted to all turbine powered aircraftto minimise accidents caused by the loss of cabin pressure," the watchdog said in a statement.

Depressurisation causes rapid and fatal oxygen starvation, or hypoxia, which impairsjudgment so pilots may not realise their planes are losing pressure.

Under the CASA proposal, alarms costing between $2,000 and $20,000 will be fitted tomost common small passenger aircraft, including Beechcraft King Airs and several typesof Cessnas.

The average cost of the units would be around $10,000, with the entire program likelyto cost less than $1 million nationwide.

CASA said the alarms, which are already fitted to large commercial aircraft, wouldsound both through the pilot's headphones and a cabin speaker, activating at altitudesgreater than 13,000 feet.

The aviation industry has until June 30 to comment on the draft Airworthiness Directivewhich would order the alarms.

If approved as expected, aircraft operators would then have a year to fit the new units.

AAP rft/kjp/mg/de s

KEYWORD: BEECHCRAFT