Fight Against FOD Never Ends

Foreign object damage can often become the hidden killer for pilots.

Richard Scarbrough

Monday, September 16, 2024 at 08:57 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

433rd Airlift Wing members at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland perform an FOD walk to clean foreign objects and debris from the flightline. [U.S. Air Force/Staff Sergeant Lauren Snyder]

Key Takeaways:

Foreign Object Damage (FOD) is a pervasive and costly hazard in aviation, responsible for millions in annual damages, operational disruptions, injuries, and even catastrophic accidents and fatalities.
FOD encompasses a wide range of items—from misplaced tools and aircraft components to natural elements like birds or insects—and can originate from human error or environmental factors.
Effective FOD prevention requires a comprehensive, industry-wide strategy involving universal awareness, stringent tool control, meticulous inspections, and a proactive "clean-as-you-go" approach from all aviation personnel.

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“I believe I just ingested a flashlight.”

That statement is precisely what one does not wish to hear when test-running an aircraft following a maintenance event. The situation worsens when the aircraft is a $109 million F-35A Lightning II fighter. In January, Stars and Stripes reported that on March 15, 2023, “a hand-held flashlight left inside an F-35 engine by maintainers at Luke Air Force Base last year caused $4 million in damage.” It seems that after using a flashlight to inspect the poorly lit intake of the F-35, the maintainer failed to clear the tool before test-running the engine.