Don’t you hate it when the news or a TV program says; “Coming up next…” and then you have to wait another 30 minutes to see what you have been waiting to see from that teaser? Well, we are not going tease you like that today. Instead, we are going to give you the answer to this question right away.
Which aircraft have Kapton™ insulated wire? First line fighter aircraft, as well as patrol, ASW, attack, transport, and helicopter aircraft are all subject to wiring problems because they possess Kapton™ insulated wire. Some aircraft involved on the military side include F-16, F-14, F-15, F-18, F-4, S-3, E-2C, P-3, EA-6, SH/UH-60, AH-64, and AH-1 models. Some examples on the commercial side include A310, A320, A330, A340, B727, B737, B747-400, B757, B767, DC-10, MD-8x, MD-11, L-1011, G-II, G-III, HS125-700, 212, 214, S-61, S-70B, S-76.
Now, why is this important? It was discovered that the older the Kapton™ wiring gets, the more brittle and vulnerable the insulation becomes. Cracking and embrittlement of Kapton™ wiring harness insulation is widespread and has caused short circuits in key aircraft systems. For these reasons Kapton™ wiring is being phased out of use in many new aircraft types. Unfortunately, countless aircraft are flying today with cracks in the insulation of wiring harnesses down to the metallic conductors, and are only replaced when the problem occurs as a result of this dangerous situation. The only really safe solution to the dangers posed by the use of Kapton™ is the replacement of ALL older aircraft with new ones not utilizing Kapton™ wiring.
Below is a host of information about the issues associated with Kapton™ aircraft wiring. Please contact Clare McGarrey (Vice President of InterConnect Wiring) at 1-817-377-WIRE, if you have an aircraft that contains this type of insulation.
References:
https://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar082.pdf
https://www.mitrecaasd.org/atsrac/intrusive/Chapter_6.pdf
https://www.iasa.com.au/folders/Safety_Issues/Aircraft_Wire/SampsonCommentsontheFAAAdvisoryCircular.html
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/ac25-16.pdf
https://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/1998Conference/presentations/BrucePike.pdf
https://www.vision.net.au/~apaterson/aviation/Kapton_mangold.htm
https://www.vision.net.au/~apaterson/aviation/wire_types.htm
