Simulation of a Full-Scale Crash Test of a Fokker F28 Fellowship Aircraft

In June 2019, a full-scale crash test of a Fokker F28 Fellowship aircraft was conducted as part of a joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Federal Aviation Administration (NASA/FAA) project to investigate the performance of transport aircraft under realistic crash conditions. The test objectives were to provide data for assessment of transport aircraft crash worthiness and to generate test data for model validation. The test article was loaded with transport aircraft seats in a 3+2 configuration. A total of 24 instrumented Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) were placed in the seats and restrained. The test article weighed 33,306-lb. and, during the crash test, impacted a 2-ft. high soil bed at 65.3-ft/s forward and 31.8-ft/s vertical velocity. The full-scale crash test was simulated using the commercial nonlinear explicit transient dynamic finite element code, LSDYNA®. This paper will provide a description of the test article and the crash test conditions, document the F28 full-scale model development, and present test-analysis comparisons in several categories including inertial properties, kinematic responses, structural acceleration responses, and airframe deformation and failure. In addition, test-analysis results will be quantified based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 16250 curve comparison methodology.