Fail-safe Pitot Cover Aims To Save Lives, Money

For more than a century, pitot tube covers have remained largely unchanged—simple covers, some with red “remove before flight” streamers that rely on human attention. Steven DeGroff, president of DeGroff Aviation Technologies, set out to eliminate the risk that comes when one is accidentally left on during a flight.

“Human error will never come to an end,” DeGroff said. “So we have to design systems with technology in place to prevent hazards within the system itself.” His company’s new heat-activated pitot cover does exactly that.

Traditional covers can melt or destroy the heated pitot tubes if heat is activated while they’re still attached, leading to costly replacements and safety risks. “You may have three or four ruined pitot tubes…and you may have hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs, in time, and in materials,” DeGroff said, depending on the aircraft type. 

Beyond the financial hit, the stakes can be fatal. He cited a Bombardier Challenger 300 incident in Connecticut a few years ago in which pitot covers left on the aircraft contributed to a rejected takeoff. And when the sensors weren’t properly reset before takeoff without the covers attached, subsequent in-flight oscillations injured and later killed a passenger.

DeGroff’s invention integrates a small glass bulb—similar to those used in fire sprinkler systems—inside a clamshell-style pitot cover. “Within two to five minutes after power up, it gets hot enough where it expands and shatters,” he said. The mechanism causes the cover to spring open, freeing the pitot tube before any damage occurs.

Now offered to business jet OEMs and airlines, the DeGroff system’s simplicity is its strength. “Nothing has changed in pitot cover technology for more than 100 years,” DeGroff said. “This is the first fail-safe that keeps those covered-pitot events from happening.”

By preventing even a single forgotten cover from causing damage or injury, DeGroff believes the technology can save operators both money and lives.