SYDNEY (Reuters) - Regulators, insurers and experts advise airlines to take special caution during the COVID-19 pandemic to reactivate aircraft left in extended storage, citing possible pilot rustiness, maintenance failures and even insect nests blocking key sensors.
The unprecedented number of aircraft grounded as blocked air travel by coronavirus lockdowns - approaching two-thirds of the global fleet at one point - has created an increase in the number of problems reported as airlines return them to service.
According to the International Air Transport Organization, the number of "unstabilised" or badly handled approaches has increased dramatically this year (IATA). Such mishaps can lead to difficult landings, overshoots of the runway or even crashes.
Gary Moran, head of Asian aviation at insurance broker Aon PLC, said that, worried by IATA's numbers, insurers are asking airlines about whether they are doing extra pilot training to concentrate on landings.
"They want to know about the training circumstances," he said.
Approaches and landings put major demands on the crew, which are important for training and routine experience.
The largest group of fatal accidents can be traced back to the approach to an airport, according to aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE, while the largest number of non-fatal accidents occur during landing.
In May, after an unstable approach, a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed, killing 97 passengers, while 18 died in an Air India Express crash on landing in August, also after an unstable approach.
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An 'alarming trend' in the number of incidents of inaccurate airspeed and altitude readings has been confirmed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) during the first flight after a plane leaves storage.
The take-offs had to be abandoned in certain situations, or the aircraft had to return to base.
The issue was in most cases traced back to undetected insect nests within the pitot tubes of the aircraft, pressure-sensitive sensors that feed key data to an avionics device.
In June, after the captain noticed the airspeed was reading zero, a Wizz Air Holdings PLC flight halted take-off.
Analysis of the aircraft revealed insect larvae in one of the pitot tubes, with the aircraft parked 12 weeks prior to the takeoff, in the United Kingdom. Investigation Division of Air Accidents, said last month. There were not any passengers on board.
Insects blocking a pitot tube contributed to the 1996 crash in the Dominican Republic of a chartered Birgenair aircraft that killed all 189 people on board.
Kate Seaton, a Singapore-based aerospace partner at law firm HFW, said flight crews need to be mindful of possible defects that might not have been adequately detected after an unprecedented grounding as planes return to service.
"We are in new territory - the sector must take steps to mitigate the risks, but it must be prepared for the unexpected," she said.
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EASA said last month that the problems reported after prolonged parking included engine shutdown in flight after technical problems, contamination of the fuel system, decreased parking brake pressure and loss of charge for emergency batteries.
We have people who are very rusty coming back to work, which is a major problem," insurer Aon's Moran said."
Airlines have developed training programs for re-entering service pilots, ranging from theory refreshers to several simulator sessions and, depending on the duration of absence, supervised in-flight tests.
On Nov. 30, Australia's aviation regulator said its inspectors will improve oversight of COVID-19 related risks including re-entry into service, pilot training and safety risk management for the remainder of the year through June 30, 2021.
Upon returning to work, pilots will need to make an honest evaluation of their abilities and trust, International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations delegate Peter Meiresonne said at an industry webinar in October. If they don't feel prepared, they can need to turn down offers like shorter landing approaches from air traffic control, he said.
Perhaps now is a good time to say, 'We are unable today' or 'Give us a lineup of six or 10 miles rather than a lineup of four miles,' which you will consider when you are more qualified and (flight experience is more recent," he said."
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