Institute of Engineering & Technology

Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City
NAME OF GROUP MEMBERS:
BERMIDO, LANDER ACE F.

FONTIVEROS, JARRED CHRISTIAN L.
FORTUNA, LEONARD FELLIPHE F.
MARAMAG, JAKE T.
ACTIVITY NO. 1
Investigating the Probable Cause of an Aircraft Accident
Aircraft Accident Episode/Title: 2013 Embraer ERJ 170-100LR Aircraft Incident In Germany
Flight details
Flight No.: Embraer ERJ170-100LR
Date: March 13, 2013
Aircraft Type: Transport Aircraft
No. of Passengers on Board: 77 passengers
No. of Crew: 4 crew members
Fatalities: None
Survivors: 81 people
Location of Accident: Nuremberg, Germany
SYNOPSIS:
On March 13, 2013, the Air France Embraer ERJ170-100LR experienced an
electrical system failure while still carrying 77 passengers and four crew members after
landing in Nuremberg, Germany. Embraer detected debris of molten pins, wire clips,
and screw nuts at the incident location. Three automated circuit breakers also had a
fracture on their casings from heat damage with no indications of heat situations within.
Heat damage was also evident on the insulation panels in the fuselage that were
located above the damaged outlet. Yet, they discovered no signs of open fire throughout
their inspection of the damaged portion of the aircraft and the nearby surroundings.
Accordingly, Embraer concluded that the emergence of smoke and odors was caused
by a short circuit in the exterior connection box due to the presence of metallic foreign
object debris (FOD). Consequently, the presence of smoke and fumes led to the
conduction of precautionary rapid disembarkation (Skybrary, 2013).
PROBABLE CAUSE/S:
The performance of an aircraft is directly related to its electrical systems and

design. The report on the Air France Embraer ERJ170-100LR aircraft incident on March
13, 2013, in Nuremberg, Germany, is a discussion of aircraft electrical failure caused by
design inefficiencies and human error. The major issue with the Embraer ERJ 170-100LR
plane was a short circuit caused by extraneous items. The occurrence of metallic foreign
object debris (FOD) was due to insufficient design. The reaction of the heat after the
flight with the left foreign objects caused a short circuit and smoke within the aircraft
due to the qualities of the aircraft materials. The opening in the design of the exterior
receptacle allowed foreign things to enter the receptacle's upper side. There were flaws
in the aircraft design that should have been identified and corrected beforehand, as well
as ineffective monitoring and noncompliance with the obligatory process after the fact.
Overall, the Embraer ERJ 170-100LR disaster was a mix of human error and a reaction
of electrical components that caused the entire aircraft to malfunction.
RECOMMENDATION/S (What should have done?):
Major design aspects including susceptibility, vulnerability, reliability, maintainability,

and operational cost are considered. In line with the problem regarding design
inefficiencies and human error, the following recommendations are in response to
EMBRAER 170's faulty external power receptacle cap placement:
Creating a more efficient exterior power receptacle cover. The existing external
power receptacle cover will be replaced after a thorough inspection and evaluation.
Redesigning the external power receptacle cover will help reduce the incidents where
FOD is detected within the external power receptacle.
Devise a receptacle lockout system. The problem was caused by the easily
penetrated external power receptacle. As a result, a receptacle lockout mechanism
must be developed. The receptacle lockout mechanism prevents unwanted insertion
and penetration of unwanted objects into an external power receptacle. Its purpose is to
ensure the upkeep and protection of an aircraft's electrical system.
Moreover, to make sure that the alteration won't prevent the aircraft from operating
normally, the aircraft should be thoroughly inspected before proceeding,
particularly on the repaired or modified external power receptacle. The engineers
should first carry out a variety of electrical and flight investigations to gauge the
effectiveness of the change. The loosely defined aircraft design process is used to strike
a balance between a variety of conflicting and demanding requirements to create an
aircraft that is strong, lightweight, affordable, and capable of carrying a suitable payload
while also being sufficiently reliable to fly safely for the duration of the design life of the
aircraft.
LESSON LEARNED & PRACTICAL APPLICATION
An emergency evacuation from an airplane is a critical component of an aircraft flight

emergency for passengers, cabin crew, and flight crews. This incident should serve as a
reminder to us that decisions must be made right away if there is a miscommunication
between passengers and crew members or if the evacuation is slowed down by either
passengers or untrained ground personnel who are unaware of safety procedures and
practice rules. In the event of an issue, passengers should disembark immediately. The
crew may need to leave the aircraft as soon as possible in the event of an emergency,
such as a fire, a problem with the aircraft's systems, or very bad turbulence.The first
officer should help the cabin crew with the evacuation of the passengers on the ground
and in the cabin, if that is possible after the measures in the cockpit are finalized.
Following a final verification that all passengers have left the aircraft, the captain shall
be the last member of the crew to leave the cockpit and the aircraft as a whole. Before
the rescue and emergency services get there, they are in charge of running the
activities on the ground. In order to safeguard their safety and lower any possible
hazards, this necessitates that the passengers get off the aircraft as quickly as feasible.
Enabling emergency workers to enter the airplane and address the problem more
effectively is another benefit of passengers disembarking. Personnel shall be prepared
to manage any emergency or unexpected scenario that may arise on board is the
fundamental objective of safety and emergency procedures training. They learn how to
foresee possible dangers and how to stop situations during training. The primary goal of
safety and emergency procedures training is to ensure that crew members are
equipped to handle any emergency or unforeseen circumstance that may develop on
board. During training, they pick up on how to anticipate potential risks and how to avert
them.
The aviation industry has faced numerous incidents and accidents throughout its
existence. There is still a lot to work on in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance,
some of which are already known by man, and some are still foreign to human
knowledge.
REFERENCE:
Skybrary (2013). E170, Nuremberg Germany, 2013. Skybrary: Accidents and Incidents.
https://www.skybrary.aero/accidents-and-incidents/e170-nuremberg-germany-201
3?fbclid=IwAR0PKvih7BpwDEMi7pcpFgWQqsSz6ajWaYGOWekIF_MesG111M9
VmIz5A-s.
Honesty Clause:
The students are expected to accept and maintain principles of intellectual and academic honesty as
members of the academic community. The institution believes that students are truthful as a basic and
necessary standard of conduct in academic matters, and that they only submit the results of their own
efforts for credit.

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Institute of Engineering & Technology

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Republic of the Philippines

PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS

NAME OF GROUP MEMBERS:

BERMIDO, LANDER ACE F.

The performance of an aircraft is directly related to its electrical systems and

RECOMMENDATION/S (What should have done?):

Major design aspects including susceptibility, vulnerability, reliability, maintainability,

LESSON LEARNED & PRACTICAL APPLICATION

An emergency evacuation from an airplane is a critical component of an aircraft flight

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