FOD Management

The Importance of FOD Maintenance and Awareness An important detail in the maintenance of all aircrafts is FOD. FOD stands for Foreign Object Damage and Foreign Object Debris. Foreign Object Damage refers to the damage that can be caused by Foreign Object Debris when objects, often small and unnoticed, are left or unsecured in and around the aircraft during maintenance and launches. FOD can cause damage to the aircrafts and death or injury to all crewmembers operating the aircraft. 79 words FOD can be any object not attached to the aircraft. This includes objects on any pilot or crew chief’s person such as pens in pockets, dog tags, or even uniform items not properly secured to the individuals uniform as well as objects left in and around the aircraft during maintenance such as loose bolts and screws, tools such as allen head wrenches, and metal scrap from maintenance including leftover lock wire and bits of cut cotter pins. 156 words Foreign Object Damage is caused when bits of debris left in and around the aircraft make their way into parts of the aircraft, often moving, and damage the aircraft. Turbine engines take in air with enough force to pull in objects of almost any size at up to 30 feet away. Any debris left around an aircraft during launch can and will make its way into the turbine engine. A small screw left in the wrong place can damage the turbine engine’s compression system airfoil and cause up to millions of dollars in damage in time as short as seconds. Items such as tools or loose bolts left in moving parts such the drive shaft or gears can be caught and cause significant damage to the aircraft. If FOD isn’t noticed before launch the aircraft can take damage during flight. If this occurs it can cause injury or death to the crew members operating the aircraft and anyone in the vicinity of the aircraft when it goes down. Always remember in Aviation take offs are optional, but landings are always mandatory. 337 words The FAA reports