Investigating plane crashes for the MoD
Dr Cheryll Pitt is Materials Evaluation Section Head, working for the Ministry of Defence and based in Portsmouth. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Professional Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. She is also an active member of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee.
My job is to investigate the causes of aircraft failure in the Navy. If a critical aircraft component fails they send it to us and we find out what has happened and what needs to be done so it doesn’t happen again. Sometimes we work through the night to find a solution. Often the aircraft are being used in operations, and its important to keep them in use.
Sometimes we go out to crash sites, but more often they gather all the bits into a large hanger, and they recreate the crash for us. When a plane hits the ground or water everything fails. It is a sea of pieces. Our job is to find what broke first and why.
I lead a team of six – all with degrees in metallurgy, materials science, engineering. We’ve just taken on some new staff, and they are young and very enthusiastic. They come with good general knowledge and we give them on the job training. I have two women on my team, which I am very pleased about. I provide mentoring: one has gained a PhD while working with us, and the other is on her way to becoming a Chartered Engineer.
I got into all this because, after doing a PhD in physical metallurgy at Imperial College, I got married and moved to 
Plymouth with my husband. He joined the Navy as a metallurgist and taught on their Masters course in Marine Engineering. I couldn’t get a job to begin with – I was over-qualified! – but then the Ministry of Defence needed a junior researcher. I did that for three years, and then I took five years off to have children. When the eldest went off to school I decided to return to work – I thought I’d lose all credibility if I left it any longer.
There were no part-time or flexi jobs then (late 1980s) but I got work helping undergraduates with their research projects. When they closed the naval university I moved to Surrey and taught materials to squaddies. Vehicle mechanics. A sparky lot!
After that I made the move to Gosport and started doing crash investigations. It took me a while to get a promotion, but now I have a management role. I do whatever I can to inspire women to take up this kind of career. I’m working with the UKRC and WISE to get some girls in to do work experience.
I’m proud that in my team, and in other teams here, there is a good number of women technicians and engineers. In my job, what you do and say has a tremendous impact on the end user. People’s lives are in our hands. You feel you are making a real difference, and that’s where the magic and the drive come from.
Comments
Ruth Wilson (moderator):
Hi Cheryll,
Our guest bloggers submit all sorts of intriguing photos of themselves at work - the one of you in full protective gear is one of the more memorable! I know there is a widespread concern around clothing sizes, and we have heard from women who can't get boots and other protective items in their size ((eg Barbara Entwistle http://www.theukrc.org/blogs/getset-women/2008/08/bringing-daylight-to-building-space and WES http://www.wes.org.uk/) . Has the navy got that sorted?
What is the most strange or puzzling crash you've dealt with?
Rukhsana Din:
Hi Cheryll,
It's great to hear about your employment 'journey' - you're a real inspiration to women who have taken a career break to start a family, what advice would you give women in your position?
You're also a member of a women's network (Royal Aeronautical Society's Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee). There are over 200 women's networks listed on the Connect area of the UKRC site - what advice would you give to women who are thinking about joining a women's network? Did it help you?
CHERYLL PITT:
Hi Ruth,
The most puzzling investigation was a fixed wing aircraft that that crashed into a crop field as the result of an engine failure - but the engine was completely devoid of oil - we spent a long time trying to find out where the oil had gone! It turned out that it had leaked from a coupling during the last flight!
Regarding the clothing - I am quite small and I am afraid we have to make do with what is available!
Hi Rukhsana,
Thanks!
I would say keep in touch with your previous work contacts and other professionals and use these contacts to obtain employment when you are ready to go back to work.
Asisting on the Women In Aviation and Aerospace Committee has given me a sense of achievement in being able to contribute to encouraging other women to succeed in their careers through the events we organise.
Jill Collins:
Hi Cheryll
I know through our work together on the Women in Aviation & Aerospace Committee that a lot of your work involves using forensic investigation methods to find the causes of faults and accidents. Are there any similarities between your work and the roles and techniques shown on the popular forensics series on television?
Jill
CHERYLL PITT:
Hi Jill,
Thanks for your interesting question!
My work colleagues say that the series has a heavy bias towards investigations requiring expertise in analytical chemistry (fibre analysis etc) rather than in engineering (failure mode analysis etc). Aircraft crash investigation tends to rely heavily upon the latter. The series' staff are also partitioned into the "geeky" laboratory bound people and those fortunate enough to go out on site - in my work we often travel to air stations and other external sites but also carry out our own laboratory analysis.
Rachel Tobbell:
Hi Cheryll, your job sounds fascinating. Is it a very unsual job or are other similar jobs for engineers around the UK? Also I am interested to see you are a member of a professional body. Why did you join and do you make use of its services?
CHERYLL PITT:
Thanks Rachel! The only other openings are with the Royal Navy in their Flight Safety organisation (you would need to join up and then direct your career towards this specialisation)and with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), (part of the Department of Transport). I became a Professional Member of the Institute of Materials because it is an indicator of competence for our customers.
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