Fuel Fire Penetration Test and Destruction of a Transport Aircraft

Webster, Harry

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Fuel Fire Penetration Test and Destruction of a Transport Aircraft

1996-12-01
By Webster, Harry

File Language:

English

Details

Creators:

Webster, Harry
Corporate Creators:

United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. William J. Hughes Technical Center
Subject/TRT Terms:

Aircraft Fires Aircraft Fuels Air Engines Burnthrough Calorimeters Fatalities Fire Resistance Fires Smoke Thermocouples
Publication/ Report Number:

DOT/FAA/AR-96/48
Resource Type:

Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:

United States
Edition:

Final Report
Corporate Publisher:

United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Aviation Research
Abstract:

A British Airtours Boeing 737 expierenced an engine failure during takeoff at the Manchester International Airport, in Manchester, England, in 1985 which resulted in 55 fire fatalities. The aircraft's reported initial fuselage burnthrough time of 15 to 20 seconds was inconsistent with previous accidents and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) large-scale burnthrough tests. The FAA conducted a fire test using a Convair 880 test aircraft designed for investigating fuselage resistance to burnthrough when subjected to a wind driven, offset, large fuel fire which incorporated certain elements of the Manchester fire. The test showed that this condition resulted in an initial burnthrough time of 1 minute 10 seconds and ignition of the cabin furnishings about 1 minute later. This test also investigated the locations of the initial burnthroughs and the paths in which the interior fire spread to get to the cabin. It was determined that fire penetration was due to melting fuselage skin and not by access through open doors or outflow valves.
Format:

PDF
Collection(s):

FAA Fire Safety
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:6c3b1e214fd61282c390d4af5d4dee22e44521fab8d441fa833f91b8b6408fefe5c872265e54637a75490af1c8a783634a6e2ff74b4c488d84c69161ab6dab93
Download URL:

https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/92728/dot_92728_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 4.29 MB ]

File Language:

English

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