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Technology update
Crashing an aircraft to enhance safety
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NASA Langley's Impact Dynamics Research Facility is conducting crash testing to determine what design changes will provide better protection for pilots and passengers.
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Engineers at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton,VA, dropped a small airplane from more than 150 ft to determine what design changes can be made to help pilots and passengers better survive accidents. The test is part of NASA's Aviation Safety Program and is following research that started five years ago with a Lear Fan drop test. The NASA Aviation Safety Program, headquatered at NASA Langley, is a partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and the Department of Defense to support the national goal announced by President Clinton to reduce the fatal aircraft accident rate by 80% in 10 years and by 90% over 25 years. Researchers at four NASA field installations are working with the FAA and industry to develop affordable, workable technologies to make flying safer: Langley; Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, CA; Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA; and Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH.
A Lear Fan composite aircraft was equipped with an energy-absorbing sub-floor and seats that can withstand various g-forces. Technicians also installed six instrumented crash test dummies and more than two dozen accelerometers to record conditions on impact.
At NASA Langley's Impact Dynamics Research Facility, engineers elevated the aircraft using cables, which were then used to swing the plane pendulum-style into the ground. Just before impact, pyrotechnic devices were used to release the suspension cables from the aircraft to allow free flight up to 60 mph at impact. Eighteen high-speed film and four video cameras were used to record every movement of the aircraft and its occupants.
The information gathered from the test will not only be valuable in assessing special energy absorbing features installed on the aircraft, but will also enable engineers to develop a more accurate computer model to predict composite aircraft crashworthiness.
Frank Bokulich
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