ABOVE: The upcoming mandate is focused on passenger safety
The UK Civil Aviation Authority is to make active carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in certain aircraft from 1 January 2025, following a safety review of the subject, which focuses primarily on the protection of passengers,
Noting that there have been two fatal accidents in the UK since 2000 with carbon monoxide poisoning “identified as the likely cause” (alongside 15 others where CO may have been a factor), the new CAA Safety Directive aims to minimise the risk of future carbon-monoxide related incidents.
It brings into law legislation first proposed in February 2024, informed by a public survey the previous year.
To comply with the new directive, aircraft owners may fit both aviation standard and commercial off-the-shelf active CO2 detectors, which are capable of alerting pilots via aural and/or visual warnings. “Pilots are free to choose a device that best suits their needs,” adds the CAA.
The CAA also explains that the new “limited mandate requiring an active CO detector” “prioritises the protection of passengers who are not expected to be aware of the risk posed by CO in piston engine aircraft”. As such, the directive excludes single-seat aircraft, although the CAA “strongly recommends that all pilots of piston engine aircraft at risk of CO fly with an active CO detector, regardless of who is on board”.
Aircraft also exempt include those with an open cockpit, aircraft performing aerobatics (unless as part of a SSAC operation), and aircraft with wing-mounted piston engines (unless cabin heat is also provided via an exhaust heat exchanger of a combustion heater).
IMAGE: CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY
