22nd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Harrogate, UK, 28 August - 1st September, 2000
Paper ICAS 2000-6.6.2

SCATTERING ANALYSIS FOR WRECKAGE OF IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP

T. Ueda (1), A. Kanda (1), A. Wataki
(1) National Aerospace Laboratory, Science and Technology Agency, Japan; (2) Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission, Ministry of Transportation, Japan

Keywords: accident analysis, in-flight breakup, aircraft accident, wreckage

Scattering of airframe fragments due to in-flight breakup is studied to estimate flight conditions of an aircraft at the accident. From the distributions of scattering on the ground, breakup location, wind effects, and the initial momentum are estimated by using analytical solutions. Numerical simulations with random variables are also carried out to confirm the analytical results. The results are compared with an actual accident of a small aircraft.

view full paper