Acoustic blockage-detection system could prevent aircraft accidents

Pitots have played a role in several aircraft accidents, including the fatal Air France Flight 447 in 2009. Now, according to aerospace engineers at the University of Bristol, acoustic methods similar to those used in a variety of other applications could help prevent such accidents by making pilots aware of a blocked Pitot before a situation becomes critical.

The approach has been proposed before, but no substantial data, either experimental or simulated, has been published until now. The researchers wanted to find out if it would be possible to detect common blockage types that aircraft face, including tape, ice and insects.

Three Pitot-statics from two different commercial aircraft were X-rayed by a CT scanner and an acoustic study was carried out to find out the variation between blocked and unblocked reflected acoustic waves. Experiments using a range of blockage types, including tape, insects, foam and metal, were also conducted on the same tubes.