Failure of the Pressure Bulkhead of a Passenger Aircraft - A Case Study

Abstract

The pressure bulkhead of a passenger aircraft ruptured when the aircraft was cruising at a height of 28,000 ft. Because of the sudden rupture, the rear toilets disintegrated and things like toilet rolls, tissue papers, towels, were sucked into the stabilizer compartment, where the entire tail control system was located. The debris damaged the green hydraulic system, ruptured fuel line and jammed the control cables. The damage resulted in the aircraft going into pitch-up mode (take-off position) and almost approached stalling position. The failed part was located near the toilets. Water from the toilets reached in this region due to leakage and penetrated inside the sheets and corrosion started in the presence of stagnant water. This was supplemented by the stresses present on the structure during flight. Stress corrosion started from inner sheet and led to initiation of fatigue. The combined effect of stress corrosion cracking and fatigue resulted in the failure of this sheet. No third stage (catastrophic) failure was observed in the fracture. The absence of catastrophic failure mode in the fractured sheet showed that it stood up to last stage.