§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what safety checks are made to guarantee the integrity of wiring in commercial aircraft. [91309]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonWiring installations are subject to detailed inspection and testing at the time of aircraft manufacture.
Subsequently, the Civil Aviation Authority sets comprehensive maintenance requirements which ensure the continued airworthiness of all UK-registered commercial aircraft; this includes checks of the external physical appearance of wiring looms at scheduled intervals. In addition, electrical continuity checks are made on affected electrical circuits whenever modifications are made to the electrical system.
Any serious faults in electrical wiring that occurred during aircraft operations would normally be detected because they are accompanied by system faults and warnings. In such cases, investigations will be made specifically directed at the relevant wiring. Individual electrical circuits are protected by automatic current limiting devices designed to isolate the associated circuit in the event of a current overload.