WHY SO MANY AIRCRAFT CRASHES?

• Position: YOUR LIFE

"In 2017, the Federal Aviation Administration had the grim duty of recording and investigating an incredible 209 aircraft crashes. More than 340 people lost their lives. There are many reasons for these crashes, but a major problem has to do with failures in electronics," says Doug Whyte, CEO of Imagine Research and Technology Inc.

"Complex electronic systems control virtually every aspect of the aircraft, and the pilots really have little to do with directly flying the machine. In fact, the pilot's cockpit controls no longer even are connected physically to the wing surfaces--an electronic signal connects them. This is the so-called fly-by-wire' technology, yet these mission- and life-critical systems can, and will, go down--and, when they do, people can die."

More than 60% of electronic failures are intermittent, random breakdowns, Whyte maintains. 'The problems in electronic systems are numerous. For instance, electrical connections consist of mating metal surfaces, usually gold, silver, or tin. These mating surfaces are subject to numerous fault conditions--particularly in aircraft--due to multiple factors, including dirt and grit, gases and damaging liquids, acids and oils, temperature swings from high heat to...