FRANGIBILITY TESTS OF EXISTING APPROACH LAMPS AND HOLDERS

One of the hazards encountered when flying into a major airport today is the possibility of accidentally undershooting the threshold of the runway and impacting into present-day approach lighting systems located there. Tests were conducted on approach lamps and holders to determine to what extent current designs are frangible. A catapult accelerated the fuselages of two widely used types of small aircraft to collision with PAR-38 and PAR-56 lamps and associated holders. 53 runs at different speeds and with different exposed lamp face orientations were made. Results show that a safety redesign of the lamps might reduce penetration probability and result in a lamp that will not penetrate windshields at less than approach landing speeds.

• Corporate Authors:

  NATIONAL AVIATION FACILITIES EXPERIMENTAL CENTER

  ATLANTIC CITY, NJ  United States 

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Systems R&D Service, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Castle, B B
• Publication Date: 1975-8

Media Info

• Pagination: 44 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Approach; Brittleness; Catapults; Crash tests; Crashes; Fuselages; Instrument landing systems; Landing; Simulation; Test procedures; Velocity; Windshields
• Old TRIS Terms: Aircraft landings; Approach lights; Frangible; Holders
• Subject Areas: Research; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00092197
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FAA-NA-75-8 Intrm. Rpt, FAA-RD-75-97
• Files: NTIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 18 1976 12:00AM