The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called on the FAA — for the second time — to require carbon monoxide detectors in general aviation aircraft.
In a safety recommendation report released Jan. 20, 2021, the NTSB identified 31 accidents between 1982 and 2020 attributed to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
According to the report, 23 of the accidents were fatal, killing 42 people and seriously injuring four more.
A CO detector was found in only one of the airplanes and it was not designed to provide an active audible or visual alert to the pilot, features the NTSB also recommended, agency officials noted.
An odorless gas byproduct of engine combustion, CO can enter the cabin of general aviation aircraft through defective or corroded exhaust systems or damaged or defective firewalls, door seals, landing gear compartments, or steering boots.
“Carbon monoxide is dangerous for pilots and passengers alike — which is why the NTSB recommended that general aviation aircraft be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors in 2004,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “Once again, we’re asking the FAA to act before lives are lost to carbon monoxide poisoning.”
The NTSB, citing numerous accidents caused by CO poisoning, first recommended the FAA require CO detectors in general aviation aircraft with enclosed cabins and forward-mounted engines in 2004.
The FAA declined to require detectors and instead recommended that general aviation airplane owners install them on a voluntary basis. The FAA also recommended exhaust system inspections and muffler replacements at intervals it believed would address equipment failures before they led to CO poisoning.
The NTSB said in the new report that the list of CO related accidents showed that the FAA’s actions were “inadequate to protect pilots against the hazards of CO poisoning.”
The NTSB also said that since toxicology testing for CO was only performed as part of fatal accidents when a suitable blood specimen could be obtained, the actual number of accidents caused be CO poisoning may be higher.
The NTSB also recommended that the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association inform their members about the dangers of CO poisoning, encourage them to install CO detectors, and ensure their aircraft exhaust systems are thoroughly inspected during regular maintenance.
The safety recommendation report is just the latest effort by the NTSB to alert the general aviation community to the dangers of CO poisoning officials noted. The agency has released several videos, as well as several safety alerts about the hazard.
The complete 11-page safety recommendation report is available at Go.USA.gov/xtkpw
Scrupulous about good maintenance . . .
I’ve been accused of having the most overmaintained aircraft on the field. Great, I can handle that.
Exactly one half hour after a thorough (and expensive) annual on my C150, one end of one muffler blew out – cracked at the seam where it is crimped to the barrel, crack was 270 degrees around. I watched the annual being done, and the shrouds were removed to inspect the mufflers, then re-installed, so we didn’t miss this.
The way I discovered this was by asking the time-honored question “Hey, what’s that new noise?” The noise was noticed on taxi, it wasn’t even in the air at the time.
I do have a “Dead Stop” in the aircraft (and you know they have an expiry date, right?) but this was something that was obviously wrong.
I do think there should be a CO detector with a visible or audible alarm. Visible might be better, remember GA aircraft are noisy critters inside. Now if we could make it battery powered and “stick on” it wouldn’t need to be FAA approved, and could be quite inexpensive. When the same item needs FAA approval because it is permanently installed (three screws), the price goes up tenfold. Man, those are some expensive screws! (You can interpret that any way you want 😉
Best Regards,
Miami Mike
The picture of the Aeronca 7AC muffler shows where the problem is. That exhaust system and likely the rest of the aircraft has not had a proper Annual Inspection for many years!
I guess my empathy level must be low today…
31 crashes in 38 years, losing 42 friends, seems like a pretty remote risk to be hanging an equipment mandate on.
Seems like there might be bigger fish to fry.
Good. We need them. The FAA is far too political and overly influenced by the aviation industry.
If you think you need one, put it in. Leave the rest of us alone, particularly those who are scrupulous about good maintenance..
Oh big brother