Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

Modern airliners are tested and engineered to an extremely high degree of reliability.

The manufacturer tells you how many flight cycles the airframe is certified for because they know how much stress cabin pressurization, takeoff, and landing have on the airframe and how long it will take to start developing cracks due to metal fatigue.

In fact they even have specified procedures for hard landings, gear failure landings, excessive G-load events, etc. Such things require specific inspections of specific areas, have specified tolerances for torsion/deformation, and in some cases they reduce the airframe's remaining service life. For example with high-G load event the mechanics must measure the angle of the wings and if there is more than X permanent deflection of the wing the wings must be repaired/replaced.

Emergency landing an airliner in a field is absolutely one of the scenarios covered by both airframe and engine manufacturers. They will have specific maintenance items to check for that along with advice on taking off from the field. I don't know about Airbus but Boeing even offers test pilots and emergency maintenance mechanics for such scenarios. If the airline pays Boeing will checkout the plain, make required repairs, and have their best pilots fly it back to your maintenance depot.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: