When an aircraft is written off, retired, or lost to ground contact is the aluminum recycled?

Answer 1

Yes it is, but not to the extent of aluminum cans. There are advantages to using material that is made new, like economy of scale which keeps the price down. But I have seen machine shops recycle the chips left over from machining, so it's hard to believe all the aluminum in old aircraft goes to waste.

I have seen a slideshow of an L-1011 meeting a large wrecker which tore it apart; it was a recycling outfit. The aluminum is high grade, not the same stuff used in baseball bats and soda cans, so it's a little more valuable than most aluminum.

Engines and any titanium are valued as well. Titanium is known to many engineers as "unobtainium" beacause it can be hard to get!

Answer 2

Yes, no and yes again.

Every component that can be used in an existing aircraft is inspected, tested and resold, so it's recycled in a much more direct manner.

Components that can't be re-used are stripped of parts that can be re-used before being converted into beer cans, travel trailers, motor homes and pistons for automobile engines. Therefore, recycled; I'm using an old piston from a Pratt&Whitney R-985 as an ashtray.

The only things aboard an aircraft that typically aren't recycled in some fashion are things consumed in post fire crashes tend to be the consumables aboard the airplane; engine oil, fuel, lavatory water, things like that.

If you live close to an airport that's had a recent crash and the water from your tap appears to be blue or greenish, it's time to start cooking and drinking with bottled water.

Answer 3

In most cases, no. They usually are bought by independent corporations to sell the parts or go into "bone yards", similar to junk yards. Many of the parts of older aircraft are hard to come by and many times more expensive than new auto parts. Many of these parts may not even be available new. Reconditioned, remanunfactured, and "as is" parts are a high portion of aircraft parts business. It is up to the mechanic to determine the useability of a part within Federal and manufacturer requirements.

Many of the parts stay in better condition when they are still part of a major assembly, not separated and exposed to the elements.

Even the military operates many boneyards so that parts can be stripped and remanufactured as needed.

Answer 4

That depends if the benefit outweigh the costs, and local regulations. It also depends if it is a military, civilian or airline aircraft. Generally, aircraft are salvaged for parts and sent to junk yards similar to what you’d see on a futuristic doomsday movie.