10 | ZRH Safety Newsletter FOD hazards April 2014

ContentsEditorial

Case studiesIncidents at Zurich Airport

Safety Basics• FOD – damage caused by foreign objects• Successfully preventing FOD

StatisticsForeign object debris at Zurich Airport

Expert perspectives• “When it comes to FOD, the focus is

still very much on the person and their individual responsibility”

• “You must never ignore FOD. Pick it up and dispose of it”

Case studies internationalIncidents at international airports

Safety dates

Reporting system

Quiz

Occurrence Reporting

Editorial

Dear Reader

I am pleased to present the new issue of the ZRH Safety Newsletter.

Most of you will remember the Concorde crash at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in July 2000. The Air France Concorde crashed shortly after take-off and was completely destroyed, claiming the lives of everyone on board. The cause was thought to be “FOD” on the runway at the time the aircraft took off which Concorde ran over, causing extensive damage to the plane which ultimately resulted in the crash.

The acronym FOD stands for both ’foreign object damage’ and for the foreign object itself (’foreign object debris’).

Screws, chains from baggage handling equipment, small stones and pieces of plastic and rubber are found every day at Zurich Airport. These and many other types of foreign object debris on and near the areas used for flight operations can cause considerable damage to aircraft.

This ZRH Safety Newsletter looks at the issue of FOD at Zurich Airport and what you can do to avoid FOD and prevent incidents similar to the one that befell Concorde in 2000.

Once again we have included a quiz in this issue of the ZRH Safety Newsletter. Answer all the questions at the end to be in with a chance of winning one of three airport shopping vouchers worth CHF 50 each. The closing date for entries is 31 May 2014.

I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter,

Steffi BaumgartenSafety ExpertFlughafen Zürich AG

2

Incidents at Zurich Airport

A Recent examples of FOD found at Zurich Airport

A1 Bolt on B38 taxi laneIn April 2013 an employee found a large bolt on the taxi lane for stand B38. It was not possible to determine who the “owner” of the bolt was or any other details about where it had come from.

Fortunately the bolt was discovered and removed before the aircraft at stand B38 pushed back. This prevented the aircraft’s tyres rolling over and being damaged by the FOD, or it being sucked up into the engine.

A2 Cleaning rag on runway 28 During a regular runway inspection by the Airport Authority in November 2012, a mechanic’s cleaning rag was found on the last third of runway 28. The rag may have fallen out of a landing-gear bay when the landing-gear doors were opened. This poses a hazard to subsequent aircraft land-ing on the runway.

A3 Screwdriver on taxiway ROMEO 8During a regular inspection of the taxiways by the Airport Authority in April 2014, a screwdriver was found on taxiway ROMEO 8. The screwdriver could have punctured a tyre rolling over it, or could have been sucked up into an engine and caused dam-age there. It could also have been blown by jet blast and damaged the plane’s fuselage.

A4 Various small objects on parking stands

Hazardous small debris originating from items of luggage or apron vehicles and ground service equipment (e.g. baggage handling equipment) are constantly being spotted and picked up.

Conclusion• Ensure that stands and taxi lanes are

free of hazardous objects and small pieces of debris.

• Parking stands must be inspected for FOD both prior to parking and after pushing back.

• Place any hazardous small debris in the FOD bins provided.

• Make sure that your vehicles and equipment do not have any loose parts that could come off.

• Once you have finished work, check that you still have all the tools you started with.

• Drivers must also pick up and dispose of foreign objects at all times.

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Case studies In this section we look at concrete examples of safety incidents relating to our focus topic, investigating the background to them and highlighting the lessons to be learned.

3

FOD – damage caused by foreign objects

FOD stands for ’foreign object damage’.

Debris is likely to cause damage to an aircraft particularly• when its tyres run over it, and• when it is sucked up into an engine.

There is also the risk of damage to vehi-cles, buildings and other aircraft when debris is sent flying by jet blast from an aircraft.

Damage to aircraft caused by bird strike is also considered to be a form of FOD.

According to Boeing, foreign object dam-age costs airlines and airports around US$ 4 billion every year.

B Typical scenarios

B1 FOD on runwaysA part becomes detached from an aircraft or vehicle on the runway. An aircraft taking off or landing immediately afterwards runs over this foreign object. The main landing gear of the aircraft is consequently dam-aged.

A tool is left behind after maintenance work on the runway. A departing or land-ing aircraft runs over the tool. As a result of rotational forces, the tool is flung against the plane’s fuselage where it causes con-siderable damage.

B2 FOD on stands A rubbish bag falls from a cleaning vehi-cle onto a stand while an aircraft is parked there. When the aircraft starts its engines, the bag is sucked in and gets jammed, con-sequently damaging the blades of the jet engine.

Ground servicing equipment (e.g. contain-ers, baggage carts) is so close to a plane’s engine that it is drawn towards it when the engine is started. The engine cowling and the blades are damaged, as well as the ser-vicing equipment itself.

Part of a barrier fence (screen) is blown onto the apron during high winds. The jet blast of a passing aircraft causes the FOD to be blown onto the neighbouring stand, and passengers making their way from a bus into the aircraft are injured.

B3 FOD on service roadsA screw drops off a baggage cart on a ser-vice road behind a stand. Shortly after-wards an aircraft rolls onto the stand and its landing gear ends up directly over the screw. The aircraft mechanic discovers the screw embedded in a tyre during a routine inspection. The damaged wheel must be removed and taken to the workshop to be repaired. Apart from the damage caused, the flight is also delayed.

A baggage cart loses a piece of chain on the service road. A vehicle following behind drives over it. The vehicle’s tyre is damaged and has to be repaired.

Did you know …… that the acronym FOD also stands for the object itself, in which case the “D” stands for debris (= broken pieces, rub-bish, rubble): foreign object debris.

FOD is also generally used at Zurich Airport to refer to the foreign object itself (debris).

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Safety Basics“Safety basics” is the section in each Safety Newsletter where we provide key information on the rules, regulations and procedures for the safety item we’re focusing on.

4

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Safety Basics

Successfully preventing FOD

According to international recommenda-tions, a programme to control FOD is most effective when it addresses the following four main areas:1. Training2. Inspections 3. Maintenance4. Coordination/Communication

TrainingAll airport and airline personnel should receive training in the identification and elimination of FOD. They should also be made aware of the hazards that FOD poses.

InspectionsThe International Civil Aviation Organ-ization (ICAO) requires airports to per-form inspections of aircraft manoeuvring areas several times a day. More frequent inspections are required if construction work is being carried out in these areas. In addition, flight crews should immediately report any FOD they observe on taxiways and runways to air traffic control (ATC). The ground crew are responsible for ensur-ing that no FOD is present on the stand prior to airplane movements to and from the gate. The ground crew should perform FOD checks for this purpose.

In general, every airside employee is called on to be aware of FOD. That means pre-venting FOD in the first place, as well as removing any FOD found.

Maintenance An essential part of any regime for suc-cessfully preventing FOD is regular clean-ing of airside areas. Particularly effective are sweepers which vacuum up hazardous small objects lying around, such as screws, plastic bags and small concrete chips.

It is also important to place FOD bins near the aprons for personnel to deposit any FOD they find. The bins are marked with the letters FOD and are therefore clearly identified as containers for disposing of FOD.

CoordinationFor effective FOD prevention, it is vital that the respective responsibilities are com-municated clearly. FOD meetings can be organized for this, or FOD can be a regular item on the agenda of other bodies at the airport (e.g. Airport Safety Committee).

The above four main areas are covered at Zurich Airport. Awareness of FOD is included in safety training for all air-side personnel. Regular awareness cam-paigns, for example the new Ramp Safety Movie 2014, communicate the dangers of FOD and appropriate ways of dealing with it. The Airport Authority also inspects the airside operating areas of the airport four times a day. Checking for FOD is a pri-ority during these inspections. Airfield Maintenance is responsible for regularly sweeping the apron areas and providing the FOD bins.

The issue of FOD is also regularly dis-cussed in the Airport Safety Committee and in the Ramp Safety Culture Team.

5

Foreign object debris at Zurich Airport

In 2013, nearly 150 foreign objects were found during airfield inspections. The FOD locations diagram shows that most foreign objects are found on the service roads behind the stands (28%) where aircraft come in to park several times a day. 22% of FOD is found on the taxiways, and 20% on the stands themselves. 13% of all FOD found is on service roads that cross taxiways. Although the 9% of FOD found on runways is a relatively small proportion, it poses a very high potential risk to aircraft taking off and landing. Other areas include the green strips adjacent to the taxiways and runways, the heliport and service roads without a direct link to aircraft (e.g. the service road under the Airside Center). The statistics showing what foreign objects were found at Zurich Airport in 2013 also make interesting reading.

Chains from baggage handling equipment (26), metal parts (25) and pieces of baggage (23). The metal parts are usually screws, bolts and washers. The metal parts and chains are probably from vehicles and equip-ment (e.g. baggage handling equipment).

ConclusionRegularly check your vehicles and equipment. Make sure they are in proper working order – that alone will prevent FOD!

Service roads behind stands 28%

Service roads intersecting taxiways 13%

Taxiways 22%

Runways 9%

Stands 20%

Other areas 8%

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

WasteFlashing lights (pushback)

ChocksCans

Dirt, loose stonesMetal parts

Joint sealsItems of baggage

Rubber parts Plastic parts

Headset cablesWoodChain

GravelNewspaper

Soldering wireDipsticks

TarpaulinsCar components

PET bottles Shards

Aircraft partsCleaning rags

Tools Boxes

FOD volumes, 2013. The three types of FOD most commonly found are highlighted in green. Source: A-SMS database

FOD locations, 2013Source: A-SMS database

ZRH Safety Newsletter | StatisticsIn this section we present the data that have been collected on accidents and incidents at Zurich Airport in graphic and diagram form. These visual interpretations should also help raise our readers’ awareness of the current hazards and risks.

6

“When it comes to FOD, the focus is still very much on the person and their individual responsibility”

Stephan Bühler has been Head Airport Manager for Flughafen Zürich AG since May 2013. Before taking up the job as Airport Manager at Zurich Airport in 2003, he had trained as a commercial airline pilot with the former Swissair.

To what extent are you confronted with the issue of FOD during your daily work?Stephan Bühler: The Airport Managers inspect the runways and taxiways and the adjoining service roads four times a day. The main focus of these vehicle patrols is to check the tarmac for FOD. Because overnight construction work is being car-ried out on areas used for flight opera-tions, there is a greater likelihood of for-eign object debris in these areas. The early morning inspection before the first flight movement is therefore particularly impor-tant.

We also carry out additional inspections if we are asked to by Skyguide air traffic con-trol. Again, checking for FOD is the pri-mary focus here – for example when an air-craft had to abort landing on a runway or had to land without airbrakes.

Since birds are also considered to be FOD and consequently pose a risk for safe flight operations, we also run regular bird control patrols. These patrols concentrate on scar-ing off birds and also on removing any bird carcasses found on the tarmac.

So the Airport Manager’s job involves a very high level of responsibility here.Stephan Bühler: Yes, indeed. However, our patrols really only represent a snapshot view. Ultimately it is the responsibility of each and every employee to prevent FOD at all times so that no hazard to flight oper-ations arises in the first place.

These vehicle patrols are carried out at around 60 km/h. Is it possible to do an effective inspection at this speed?Stephan Bühler: Yes, although it does require a keen eye. Our Airport Managers are specially trained to scan runways and taxiways for FOD at a speed of 60 km/h and even in poor visibility. Since the run-ways are such large flat surfaces, even small foreign object debris is easily spot-ted. Our vehicles are also fitted with bright halogen lights which are particularly useful when it’s dark.

What was the most unusual and most dangerous FOD found by a patrol? Stephan Bühler: A patrol once found a truck bumper on runway 28 ... More fre-quently we find aircraft fuel tank caps which we can identify from their serial numbers. But every FOD poses a haz-ard. In fact, the smaller and more solid the FOD, the more dangerous it is, because it is harder to see.

The expertStephan BühlerHead Airport ManagerFlughafen Zürich AG

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Expert perspectives In this section we present the views and experiences of various people at Zurich Airport on our focus topic.

7

What would have happened if you had not spotted it?Stephan Bühler: If we didn’t spot a foreign object, it could have fatal consequences. This could range from damage to engines or plane fuselages, through to tyre blow-outs at high aircraft take-off and land-ing speeds. In a worst-case scenario, this could cause a plane to overshoot the run-way or even crash. The Concorde crash near Paris is a memorable case in point. However, even in more minor scenarios, damage to aircraft always results in high and unwanted costs.

You often hear about “FOD Protection Systems” already used at other airports. These are laser systems that scan the air-side operating areas for FOD. Would it be possible to eliminate the risk of FOD at Zurich Airport entirely?Stephan Bühler: There are now a variety of systems on the market. However, none of them are sufficiently mature that they could be used reliably without error mes-sages.

There are some interesting developments in technical systems from aircraft man-ufacturers. For example, on the Airbus A380 only the inner engines have thrust reversers. Owing to the wide wingspan of the A380, the outer engines are usually over the shoulder areas of the runways and taxi ways where FOD could be lying. This minimises the risk of FOD being swirled up and sucked in.

Measures are in place to prevent FOD in other areas too. For instance, maintenance operators have to mark their tools, and once they have finished their maintenance work they have to check that their toolbox is complete. This ensures that no tool can be left behind to subsequently pose a haz-ard as FOD on a runway or taxiway.

However, no system can replace the whole-hearted commitment of each and every individual to prevent FOD. When it comes to FOD, the focus is still very much on the person and their individual respon-sibility.

FOD: Tyre shreds on runway 14 (after a blowout during the landing of a B767).

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Expert perspectives

8

“You must never ignore FOD. Pick it up and dispose of it”

Dirk Kauffeld has been Head of Water and Waste Management at Zurich Airport since December 2009. He heads a section with 36 people, 11 of whom work in the surface cleaning group.

To what extent are you confronted with the issue of FOD during your daily work?Dirk Kauffeld: The surface cleaning group is responsible for cleaning the airside oper-ating areas in accordance with the require-ments of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This includes clear-ing the surfaces of all the stands, taxiways, runways and service roads. The primary duty is to ensure the safety of passen-gers. All staff are committed to the job. We remove all foreign object debris from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m., 365 days a year. We are also responsible for emptying the FOD bins at the stands.

How frequently are the apron areas cleaned and the FOD bins emptied?Dirk Kauffeld: The stands and taxiways are routinely cleaned every day. We clean the runways when requested by the Airport Authority, when there is a large amount of contamination. We carry out 1.5 minutes of surface cleaning per flight movement. We also have a system for recording what areas have been cleaned. FOD bins are routinely emptied twice a week. They are also checked every day and emptied if necessary.

How many cleaning vehicles are deployed each day? Dirk Kauffeld: At least two cleaning vehi-cles are used on the airside operating areas every day. Our cleaning vehicles are sweepers. We also regularly use a FOD mat. This mat is used to pick up lots of small debris, such as the debris that can collect in the grooves of the pavement. This year we are planning to trial towing the FOD mat behind our big cleaning vehi-cles. This will save on sweeps with a sep-arate vehicle, and it’s therefore also better for the environment.

What does this cost and who pays?Dirk Kauffeld: (Laughs) When it’s about safety, and Safety First is a key element of our company policy, then the costs of such preventive measures are secondary. It’s much more important to prevent damage to aircraft, which could have fatal conse-quences. Even if we are not the originators of the FOD.

By the way, I don’t think any public road is as clean as the airside traffic areas of the airport.

The expertDirk Kauffeld Head of Water & Waste ManagementAirfield Maintenance Flughafen Zürich AG

Cleaning vehicle.

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Expert perspectives In this section we present the views and experiences of various people at Zurich Airport on our focus topic.

9

If you’re cleaning the surfaces, then we don’t need to bother about FOD around the stands and on the taxiways …Dirk Kauffeld: It’s not that simple! We’re always only at one location and we can never be everywhere at the same time. And what happens when debris is blown around by the wind? The situation can change within just a few minutes. Yes, we’re out and about with our cleaning vehicles the whole day, but the responsibil-ity for preventing and removing FOD rests primarily with every employee themselves. Unfortunately, we have repeatedly noticed that people simply walk or drive past for-eign object debris. The prevention and removal of FOD requires a major change in attitudes among airport personnel.

What sort of things do you find in the bins (both from the cleaning vehicles and the specific FOD bins)? What objects can a sweeper pick up?Dirk Kauffeld: Every year our cleaning vehicles pick up 60,000 kg of debris. We find all sorts of things in the debris and in the FOD bins: metal hardware, chains from baggage carts, screws, PET bottles, tooth-brushes, cargo documents, aerosol cans ...

… so you can’t pick up large items?Dirk Kauffeld: If we spot larger items (e.g. the wheel off a baggage cart), we get out of the vehicle and pick it up.

Do you try and find out where the FOD came from, or do you just directly dispose of the contents of the FOD bins or the debris picked up by the cleaning vehicles?Dirk Kauffeld: We hand in any larger for-eign objects to the Airport Authority. Everything else is vacuumed up by the cleaning machine and then dumped in a pit. The debris is then drained and subse-quently incinerated.

What was the most unusual and most dan-gerous FOD that your group has ever found? Dirk Kauffeld: (Laughs) The surface clean-ing team leader once found a canoe rud-der near runway 14. That was very unusual indeed. Particularly dangerous are sharp FOD which can get embedded in aircraft tyres. Aerosol cans can also be very dan-gerous, as the pressurised containers often contain a highly flammable propellant.

What would happen if debris on the airside operating areas was not detected?Dirk Kauffeld: It could have catastrophic consequences. FOD that is not found, or debris that is spotted but not picked up, can cause damage to aircraft. The main parts at risk are the plane’s engine, fuse-lage and tyres. In the worst case, it could result in a plane crashing, as was the case with the Concorde accident.

FOD mat.

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Expert perspectives

10

Incidents at international airports

Concorde crashed shortly after take-off On 25 July 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed near Gonesse shortly after taking off from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.

Accident investigators found that 5 min-utes before the Concorde took off, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 had lost a tita-nium alloy strip, 435 mm long and 34 mm wide, on the same runway. During Concorde’s subsequent take-off run this piece of debris cut one of its tyres, caus-ing it to burst. A large chunk of tyre debris then struck the underside of the aircraft’s wing at high speed and damaged the land-ing gear. The shock wave from the impact caused one of the five fuel tanks to rup-ture, directly above the undercarriage. Other parts of the tyre damaged the elec-trical controls for the landing gear. Sparks from the damaged electrics then probably ignited the leaking fuel. At the point of igni-tion, two engines lost all power, although one recovered again over the next few sec-onds. As the take-off decision speed had already been reached, the only option was to continue with take-off. However, the remaining power was not sufficient to allow the aircraft to reach the airspeed necessary to climb. The fire spread further, causing the port wing to disintegrate. One minute after take-off, the Concorde crashed into a hotel near the airport and burned out. All 109 passengers and crew as well as four people on the ground lost their lives.

Tool in engine probably forced an Airbus A330 to make an emergency landingOn 11 March 2013, ten minutes after an Airbus A330 took off from Mumbai air-port, the crew noticed the smell of smoke in the cockpit. Shortly thereafter the engine warning light came on. The crew then reported an engine malfunction to air traf-fic control and decided to return to Mum-bai airport. The A330 was given prior-ity for landing and was able to land safely again at Mumbai. Investigations revealed that the engine had been damaged. The cause of the damage is still unknown, but it is surmised that a tool may have been left behind in the engine by maintenance per-sonnel.

None of the 212 people on board were injured.

You can find information about inter-national incidents and accidents at:• www.ntsb.gov/investigations/

reports.html • www.avherald.com• www.bfu-web.de

Safety dates

2014 Date Time PlaceRamp Safety Culture Zurich meeting 05.05.2014 13.30–15.30 Prime Center ZurichRunway Safety Team meeting 24.06.2014 13.00–16.00 Prime Center ZurichAirport Safety Committee meeting 27.06.2014 08.30–11.30 Prime Center Zurich

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Case studies international/ Upcoming safety dates

In this section we look at concrete examples of safety incidents relating to our focus topic, investigating the background to them and highlighting the lessons to be learned.

11

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Reporting system/Quiz

Reporting system

Unsafe conditions and near accidents should not go unnoticed. We encourage all employees at Zurich Airport to report safety enhancement information and observations to the Safety Office. There are various ways in which you can report safety enhancement information:

OnlineYou can find the electronic reporting form on the airport website at: www.zurich-airport.com/business-and-partners/safety-and-security/submit-safety-note

Safety & Security BoxThe Safety & Security Box is used to pass on your safety enhancement information either before or after your shift. The Safety & Security Boxes with the reporting forms are located at each door/entrance to the operational areas. Information may also be submitted anonymously.

By telephoneWe would also be happy to receive your information by telephone: +41 (0)43 816 75 42.

Quiz

Win one of three airport shopping vouchers each worth CHF 50.

Decide whether each of the following statements are true or false and deposit your slip in one of the 12 Safety & Secu-

rity Boxes at Zurich Airport (deadline for entries is 31 May 2014).

No. Statement True False1. FOD stands for foreign object damage. The acronym FOD is also used to refer to the foreign object

itself.2. Most foreign objects at Zurich Airport are found on the runways.3. Chains from baggage carts found lying on the service roads behind the aircraft parking stands are

not FOD because they are not hazardous.4. If I find a FOD, I pick it up and put it in the nearest FOD bin. I hand in any larger foreign object to the

Airport Authority. 5. To prevent FOD, I ensure that my vehicle and the equipment I use are in correct condition. 6. An important part of the inspections carried out by the Airport Authority is checking the movement

area (runway, taxiways) and adjoining service roads for FOD.7. FOD is only hazardous for vehicles. It cannot do any damage to aircraft.8. Before the aircraft taxies up to the gate, the stand must first be checked for FOD. The same also

applies after ground servicing, before the aircraft pushes back from the stand again.9. At least two sweepers which pick up FOD are used every day on the airside areas.10. Screwdrivers on runways are tools and are not FOD.

First name, last name

Address

E-mail

Company

Telephone

12

ZRH Safety Newsletter | Occurrence Reporting

By postYou can also submit your report to the Safety Office directly, using the paper form below.

Occurrence Reporting Formular Zurich Airport

1. Occurrence Identification

DateTime  day  night  dawn  duskWeather  clear  cloudy  ovc  rain  fogWeather/Visibility  snow  hail  good  med  poorSurface condition  dry  wet  snow  slush  ice

Location

2. Description of occurrence (What happened?)

3. Causal factors (What do you think caused this incident?)

4. Suggestions for corrective actions (What measures could prevent this occurrence from happening again?)

5. Your occurrence assessmenta. In your opinion, what is the likelihood b. What do you consider could be the of a similar occurrence happening again? worst possible consequence if this occurrence did happen again?rare likely insignificant catastrophic

 1    2    3    4    5  1    2    3    4    5

The information supplied in this form will only be used to enhance safety. You may choose to not provide your name. If you do provide your name, upon receipt of this form your name and position will be removed and dis-carded. Under no circumstances will your identity be disclosed to any person in the airport or to any other organ-isation, agency or person without your expressed permission. When you have completed your part of the form, it should be given to the Safety Office either by post, mail or fax:Flughafen Zürich AG, Safety Office, P.O. Box, 8058 Zurich Airport, occurrence@zurich-airport.com or Fax +41 43 816 83 63.

Name (Optional)

Company/Position (Optional)

Thank you in advance for playing your own active part in keeping our airport safe.

Publishing details

Editorial team:Flughafen Zürich AG

Printed by:RTK, Kloten

© Flughafen Zürich AGP.O. Box, CH-8058 Zurich Airport

www.zurich-airport.com

Contributors to this issue:Steffi Baumgarten, Kathrin Stäubli

The ZRH Safety Newsletter provides regular information and updates on safety issues at

and around Zurich Airport. If you have any contributions or suggestions of your own,

the Safety Office will be pleased to hear from you at safetyoffice@zurich-airport.com