The occurrence of a crash-landing and subsequent tire burst is undoubtedly a matter of grave concern, emphasizing the importance of aviation safety protocols. As the incident is investigated, authorities will analyze various factors, including maintenance records, pilot response, and potential technical issues, to determine the cause and prevent future occurrences.
Efforts to ensure the safety of passengers and maintain the integrity of the aviation industry remain paramount. Regular inspections, rigorous maintenance procedures, and comprehensive training for pilots and crew members are fundamental in upholding the highest safety standards.
There are several reported cases of airplane tires bursting daily around the globe. One of the most recent case was a Max Air flight with 143 passengers and one infant on board departing Yola in Adamawa State, Nigeria experienced two tires bursts on landing at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, Nigeria on 7th May 2023 with the emergency response team quickly responding to the situation. Also recall that in an Air Peace plane has experienced a similar issue of tires bursting while landing in Ilorin.
A single airplane carries a number of people onboard ranging between tenths and hundreds therefore it is very important to ensure the safe operation of these flights by carrying out all necessary test, maintenance and checks before the bird sets to the runway and into the skies. In this article, we are going to look at Aviation Tire Pressure Maintenance And Why It Is So Important.
Of all the things that operators can do to improve the life of the aviation tire, maintaining good pressure maintenance is right at the top of every list. This article briefly explains why tire pressure maintenance is so important.
No other tire has to deal with such high load and extreme speed as an airplane tire. So they need a bit more care than the tires on your car or motorcycle.
Think of the role of the tire as holding the air at a pressure that is able to support the load of the airplane. (Nitrogen is normally used in commercial operations instead of air.)
Like all things aviation, the tire is one part of an assembly which can only work as intended when the parts are used as defined by the airframe and component manufacturers.
Under-inflating the tire or allowing the tire to operate when it is under-inflated will prevent the parts working together as intended.
And it will be the tire that will take the strain. It will deflect more and it will wear more. Harsh operating environments will only make it worse.
Some of the wear will be visible – on the tread and some of the wear will be invisible – inside the structure of the aviation tire.
Visible Wear
Under-inflation will increase the footprint of the aviation tire as it rolls on the ground and will increase the build-up of heat. Heat is no friend to tires on airplanes and the tread will wear out more quickly than it should.
On multi-tire landing gear the under-inflated tire will force the other, maybe correctly inflated tires, to take a little bit more of the strain. This will wear those other tires a little more.
Invisible Wear
As extra heat caused by under-inflation builds up in the airplane tire the internal components of the tire might start to separate from each other. A catastrophic failure might result. Component separation in the casing of the tyre will prevent retreading and will increase operating costs. All for a bit of pressure maintenance!
24 Hour Pressure Checks
A carefully thought out pressure maintenance routine will increase the life of the tyre and will reduce the number of wheel changes required.
As all tires can allow a small pressure decrease during normal operations (due to the intense nature of their service life) airplane operators should check tire pressure every 24 hours.
Because putting the right pressure in the tires will always take pressure off the airplane operation.