Shoddy maintenance rather than manufacturing defects, flight stress or part fatigue seems a major reason why aircraft parts are falling off increasingly these days and endangering not only the people on board but also those on the ground, in airports and elsewhere. Instances of engine parts, engine covers and fuel tanks falling off mid-flight or during takeoffs/landings are far too many. When two external fuel tanks of a Navy MIG-29K fell off separately at the Visakhapatnam naval air station this week, it was a clear indication that the military may care even less about maintaining the strictest safety standards in aviation, where failures can be expensive in loss of trained personnel and equipment.
An entire DC-10 engine fell off some days ago on a New Orleans-Orlando flight in the US while reports in the past week list as many as five incidents, including the Vizag one. The fact that a Navy AN-32 was flying across seas without an underwater beacon and went off the radar over two months ago with 29 people on board a routine “courier” flight to Port Blair is simply more proof that the armed forces tend to take more chances. Military personnel may believe they are fulfilling bravery quotient requirements in setting aside safety concerns, but there’s always a major price to pay. Aviation is still safer than crossing our busy roads, although statistics point to 200 people having been killed in incidents involving commercial flights alone in 2016. The point is that more lives shouldn’t be lost, certainly not from carelessness.
