Aviation
Commercial /
Americas
WiFi antenna
The device could cause damage to the aircraft itself
Airbus A220 Family
Image: Airbus
Rafael Ramos
3/31/2021
Airbus acquired the project and now manufactures the Bombardier aircraft A220-100 and A220-300, which were previously CS-100 and CS-300. These planes have a WiFi antenna and are experiencing problems because of the fairing of this equipment.
This device captures the signal from the internet via satellite and provides it via WiFi to the occupants on board the aircraft. Manufactured by Gogo and located in the upper rear section of the fuselage, not all planes have it, as it is a choice of the airline that operates them to use the antenna or not.
Airbus A220 com pintura TCA
Veja a antena
Divulgação/Air Canada
According to an investigation carried out on the antennas, the problem occurs because of vibrations induced by air vortexes released by the fairing (radome) of the 2Ku antenna.
Two failures have been reported, in one case, the antenna detached from the aircraft, causing minor damage to the structure of the vertical stabilizer.
This problem can cause cracks in the fuselage to develop that can result in the inability to maintain cabin pressure.
The Canadian Aviation Authority, TCCA, has issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) explaining the situation and how it should be mitigated.
According to AD, which becomes effective on April 1, all aircraft of the A200-100 and A220-300 models that are equipped with the antenna must comply with the instructions.
To solve the problem, AD orders the replacement of the antenna with a new one and the periodic inspection of the fuselage around the antenna fixation area.
Use the external link below to access the full AD.
Hyperlinks:
https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-S...
Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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