Risks digest reports Oxygen systems filled with Nitrogen

George Clark writes: … The Risks digest is reporting in Risks:24.93 that Qantas Airlines at Melbourne International Airport was topping off Oxygen Systems with Nitrogen, normally used to pressurize tires. The maintenance crew, when faced with fittings that wouldn't connect (O² and Nitrogen systems use different fittings) helpfully swapped the fittings from an empty Oxygen cart. (It's all just pressurized gas, right?) The problem was ongoing for 10 months and potentially impacted hundreds of aircraft. Oops.

(This was also covered in AvWeb - and on TheAge.com.au)

In the same Risks:24.93 issue, there is a report of a loss of separation event, also in Australia. Contributing factor was a controller who was reconfiguring his station to his own preferences. There was no overlap of controller positions to prevent inattention during the changes.

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-- GeorgeClark - 01 Jan 2008