LS-DYNA® Water Ditching Simulation of a Fokker F28 Fellowship Aircraft

A finite element model of the Fokker F28 Fellowship aircraft, which was previously validated for structural impacts, was used to perform LS-DYNA simulations to mimic the 2009 US Airways Flight 1549 crash into the Hudson River. The LS-DYNA® model of the F28 was originally developed from an existing NASTRAN loads model and was validated through test-analysis comparisons with data from a full-scale crash test of the F28 onto soil. The F28 aircraft was simulated for the Flight 1549 impact conditions, not to precisely predict the response of the Airbus A320 aircraft used for that flight, but to evaluate tools for simulating and analyzing water impact for a realistic aircraft ditching event. Impact conditions were: Vx (longitudinal velocity) = 211 ft/s (2,532 in/s) and Vz (vertical velocity) = 12.5 ft/s (150 in/s). The impact attitude was: Roll = 0.0°, Pitch (nose up) = 9.5°, and Yaw = 0.0°. This Fluid-Structure Interaction simulation was executed using the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) capability in LS-DYNA®. Results are presented in several categories including seat base and airframe accelerations; model kinematic responses, impact sequences, and damage evaluation; and occupant responses and injury risk assessment. Findings show that predicted seat base and airframe accelerations in both the vertical and longitudinal directions are relatively low, 15-g or less, resulting in a fairly benign impact event. Likewise, simulations of the occupant breakout models predicted injury risk values well below the defined safety limits for dynamic loading certification. These results indicate that the LS-DYNA® model was able to replicate the US Airways Flight 1549 ditching event.

• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/58010
• Corporate Authors:

  NASA Langley Research Center

  Hampton, VA  United States 

  Federal Aviation Administration

  William J. Hughes Technical Center
  Aviation Research Division
  Atlantic City International Airport, NJ  United States  08405

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Aircraft Certification Service
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Jackson, Karen E
  • Putnam, Jacob B
• Publication Date: 2020-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 48p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Crash reconstruction; Ditching; Finite element method; Simulation
• Identifier Terms: LS-DYNA (Computer program)
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01786719
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FAA/TC-21/20
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 29 2021 12:17PM