- 期刊
彗星號事件的航空醫學調查
Aviation Medical Investigation of the "Comet" Air Disaster
摘要
一九五四年元月、四月兩架彗星號(COMET)噴射座艙加壓客機，於起飛後半小時，高度達三萬呎以上，分別空中解體，造成56位乘客墜海死亡。英國飛機製造公司，花了九個月時間，進行極爲複雜的失事調查工作，以尋求失事的原因，更進一步預防事故的重演。NAPLES海極深，因此殘骸的打撈與機身的重組，花費了很長的時間。但是兩機乘客屍體的現象雷同，經解剖發現，受傷具有獨特的特徵，因此醫學證據的鑑定，對失事的研判就更形的重要了。 該次失事調查事件，當飛機殘骸未發現前，無法做進一步的研判分析，但是單從屍體傷害的型態，傷害發生先後的次序，及致死的原因，可推斷出失事的輪廓，進而指引了整個調查的方向。隨後由殘骸的打撈，機身的重組，找出失事的真正原因。於是COMET機全部停飛，並用另一架飛機做毀壞試驗，結果證明壓力客艙之結構疲勞性極爲嚴重，因此做一次巨大的結構加強設計與執行。 這兩次失事原因均經過完整之調查，由英國權責單位負責，集中其注意力在機身增壓之結構設計上，將機身放在水箱中試驗，減少積蓄力量並大量增加其循環率，隨著時間之過去，增長了經驗也發展出更複雜之設計。結果是，彗星四式一直服勤到被更大更快的飛機自然淘汰爲止。 彗星號的失事調查給與我們很大的啓示，純由航空醫學及航空病理學的證據，從罹難者遺骸中找出失事致死的原因，同時也勾劃出飛機在空中解體的形象，進一步找出失事的原因。彗星是第一架座艙加壓的民航客機，當時由於設計上的錯誤，造成機艙結構上的金屬疲勞，在空中發生解體，造成此一空前的慘劇。但也由於航空醫學前輩的努力與研究，出事的真相很快的就水落石出了。他山之石，可以攻錯，盼我國航空醫學的水準能夠急起直追，失事調查的工作能夠更上層樓，失事預防的工作能夠更受重視。 近年來遠東航空B-737機三義上空解體(1981.08.22)，以及25000呎高空，夏威夷航空B-737機前客艙頂飛脫］1988.04.29）及聯合航空B-747貨艙門脫落(1989.02.17)造成空中爆炸減壓，再再反映出另一新課題－高齡飛機在民航飛行安全上所扮演的角色！至於彗星號空難，從失事調查的角度觀之，航空醫學舉足輕重。事實上失事調查就是一種團隊的工作，其目的在於瞭解失事真象，防範未然，避免流血事件的重演。最後願我國的飛安工作，能朝「止於至善」的標準，大步邁進。
並列摘要
In January & April of 1954, two Comet jet pressure cabin aircrafts, after flying for half at the beight of more than 30,000ft, had structure failure in mid-air and caused the deaths of 56 passengers who fell in the sea. The British aircrafts manufacturing company spent nine menths of investigation for those highly complicated accidents. They searched the caused of the accidents and again for more advanced preventive measures. The sea of ”Naples” being very deep, they spent a very long time gathering the remains of the dead bodies as well as the wreckage of the planes. But the signs of the dead bodies of both the aircrafts ars similar and postmortem studies revealed that they have very special characteristics. So, the confirmation of medical evidence had become vrey important in bringing the conclusive result of the investigation. Before the wreckage of the aircrafts were found, it was impossible to make further analysis of the investigation. But from the injury pattern of the dead bodies, the sequence before and after death to hte cause of death could help infer an outline of the accident, therefore leaded the way for the entire investigation. Last, from the remains of the dead bodies, by trying to reconstruct the wreckage of the planes, the real caused of the accident werw found. Thereby the entire ”Comet” planes have to stop flying. Another plane was used to make the destroying experiment. The result was that the cabin's pressure was too much for its structure, therefore stronger construction design work are required. Those two accidents investigations were in charge by the British authority, who concentrated all efforts on the cabin's pressurization and its construction plan. As experiment they put the body of the plane into the water tank to reduce the accumulated strength and increased its cycle rate. As time passed, more experiments had developed into more complicated design. The consequence was that ”Comet” No .4 was outrun by bigger and faster aIRCRAFTS and the ”Comet” was automatically terminated. The ”Comet” accident investigation had given immense proclamation. from the evidence of Aviation Medicine and Pathology, from the remains of the dead bodies, the caused of the accident to deaths were found. At the same time brought visionary scenes of the plane's body exploding in the air made an advanced study for the caused of the accident. 'Comet” was the first civil aircraft wigth cabin pressurization that its body got separated in the air, due to mistake in its cabin design that had created metals of its construction, unable to withstand the pressure. In had created a very big Aviation Tragedy. But because of the efforts and researches made by the ”Aviation physiologist & pathologist”, the true facts of the acccidents coule be found very fast. Experiences also brought achievements. Hope our standard of the Aviation Medicine Will go ahead and take the lead, The work of Accident Investigation could could also go forward and the preventive measures be given immense importance. In recent years, the Far-Eastern Airlines B-737 in 1981. 08.22, its body was separated in the cloud at ”San-Yi” at the altitude of 25,000ft. The Hawaii Airlines B-737 in 1988.04.29, its front cabin roof was flown off. And the United Aim lines B-747 had the cargo hatch broken down and exploded in the air. Again and again brought out another new chapter-The role that old planes had played in the Safety of Civil Aviation. Therefore the ”Comet” air disaster, from the view-point of aeromedical investigation, Aviation Medicine expertise is of utmost importance. In fact accident investigation is a team work, the main target is to understand the true facts of the accidents. Also avoid happening again in the future and prevent blood flowing accident ot repeat. Lastly hope our country's flight safety measures can reached to the standard o ”Perfectness” and leap a giant step forward.