Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to prevent failures of pitot-static systems within the aviation sector.

Pitot static systems provide data on an aircraft’s airspeed and altitude to flight control systems and cockpit instruments. On rare occasions these systems can become blocked by ice or foreign objects, particularly after an aircraft has been inactive for an extended period. However, commercial aircraft typically have dual or triple independent systems to provide back-ups.

An aircraft’s flight crew conducts a visual inspection of the pitot system before each flight and these systems are frequently inspected as part of an aircraft’s regular maintenance programme. Pilots are also thoroughly trained to recognise discrepancies in the information provided by these systems, and on what action to take if it occurs. The Department for Transport’s current assessment is that these measures, if undertaken correctly, are sufficient to mitigate the risk posed by blockages.