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In-flight fire

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The aftermath of the fire onboard Air Canada Flight 797

In aviation, an in-flight fire is a type of aviation accident where an aircraft catches on fire in-flight. They are considered one of the most dangerous hazards in aviation, with a report from the British Civil Aviation Authority showing that after a fire on an aircraft starts, flight crews only have on average 17 minutes to land their aircraft before it becomes uncontrollable.[1] Between 1981 and 1990, approximately 20% of all fatalities on US airlines were caused by in-flight fires.[2]

Types

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Causes and spread

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A lithium-ion battery

Electrical fires are often the result of rogue sparks or the overheating of electronic components. If there are flammable materials around the source of the fire, an electrical fire can quickly spread.[7] Cockpit fires are often related to electrical fires as there many electrical components inside the cockpit that can produce sparks. If a cockpit fire is not extinguished in time, the smoke and fire on the control surfaces could make controlling the aircraft harder.[5]

Fires in the cabin can be caused by items that the passengers bring on board, like personal electronic devices, lithium batteries, cigarettes, and can be exacerbated by improper waste management. Electrical fires can also occur in the cabin area from wires that run through the cabin, like those for in-flight entertainment systems.[8]

Depending on what's inside the cargo hold of an aircraft, a cargo fire can quickly spread. For example, lithium batteries can undergo a process called thermal runaway, where the battery is able to serve as a source of heat, fuel, and an oxidizing agent.[9][10] Other hazardous cargo include items that can serve as an oxidizing agent, like oxygen bottles and cleaning products.[9]

Engines failures, mainly from loss of engine oil and uncontained engine failures, are the main cause of engine fires.[6] In these scenarios, the excess heat produced could ignite the jet fuel or jet fuel vapors inside the engine.[7]

In cases where a fire burns for a sufficient time, an event called a flashover can occur. A flashover is the near simultaneous ignition of any combustible material within an enclosed area. As more flammable gasses are released when materials burn and the temperature rises, the autoignition temperature is eventually reached, causing the everything in the enclosed space to ignite.[11] Temperatures of flashovers can reach 480–650 °C (900–1,200 °F), making them unsurvivable for more than a few seconds.[12]

Prevention

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See also: Fire safety

Since 1985, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated more fire-resistant materials to be used in aircraft to lengthen the amount of time until a flashover occurs.[13] A kerosene burner test for aircraft seats is used to validate their resistance to the type of fuel fire most commonly encountered; developments in fire-resistant foam and fire-blocking layers have adding 40 to 60 seconds of time for passengers to escape the aircraft.[2] Since 1986, aircraft cargo compartments have been required to have more fire-resistant lining and in 1998, the compartments were to have fire detection and suppression systems.[14] Halon fire extinguishers, generally using Halon 1301, are used widely throughout the aviation industry because of their high performance to weight ratio.[15] Due to its ozone depleting nature,[15] aviation fire-suppression systems are one of the last remain permitted uses of halon.[16]

Notable examples

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Event Date Aircraft Site Fatalities/Occupants Type[a] Cause Ref
United Air Lines Flight 608 24 October 1947 Douglas DC-6 Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, United States 52/52 Cargo fire Design flaw and flight crew error [17][18]: 1 
Swissair Flight 306 4 September 1963 Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III Dürrenäsch, Aargau, Switzerland 80/80 Landing-gear fire Overheated tires from excessive braking

[19]

Mohawk Airlines Flight 40 23 June 1967 BAC 1-11 204AF Blossburg, Pennsylvania, United States 34/34 Tail section fire Complete valve failure in APU spreading fire to the tail section [20]
Interflug Flight 450 14 August 1972 Ilyushin Il-62 Königs Wusterhausen, Bezirk Potsdam, East Germany 156/156 Cargo fire Hot-air tube leak [21][22]
Varig Flight 820 11 July 1973 Boeing 707-320C Near Orly Airport, Île-de-France, France 123/134 Cabin fire Undetermined, potential electrical fault or lit cigarette [23]
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 26 November 1979 Boeing 707-340C Near Taif, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia 156/156 Cabin fire Undermined, potential electrical fault or gasoline leak [24]
Saudia Flight 163 19 August 1980 Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar Riyadh International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 301/301 Cargo Fire Undetermined [25]
Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458 21 February 1982 de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Scituate Reservoir, Rhode Island, United States 1/12 Cockpit fire Ignition of the windshield washer/deicer fluid, exact ignition source undetermined [26]
Air Canada Flight 797 2 June 1983 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Kentucky, United States 23/46 Cabin fire Undetermined, potential electrical fault [27]
Mexicana de Aviación Flight 940 31 March 1986 Boeing 727-264 Near Maravatío, Michoacán, Mexico 167/167 Landing-gear fire Under-inflated and overheated tires being filled with air, chemical reaction [28]
LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 9 May 1987 Ilyushin Il-62 Kabaty Woods, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland 183/183 Engine fire Disintegration of engine bearings from improper maintenance [29]
South African Airways Flight 295 28 November 1987 Boeing 747-244BM Combi Indian Ocean, 225 km NE of Flacq, Mauritius 159/159 Cargo fire Disputed; undetermined (Official investigation), military fuel (alternate theories) [30][31]
Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 11 July 1991 Douglas DC-8-61 Near King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 261/261 Landing-gear fire Under-inflated and overheated tires bursting on takeoff [32]
Zambia national football team plane crash 27 April 1993 de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo Gulf of Guinea, near Akanda, Estuaire Province, Gabon 30/30 Engine fire Engine defects, carbon contamination in gearbox [33]
Baikal Airlines Flight 130 3 January 1994 Tupolev Tu-154M Mamony, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia 124/124[b] Engine fire Uncontained engine failure from foreign object damage [34]
ValuJet Flight 592 11 May 1996 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 Everglades, Florida, United States 110/110 Cargo fire Improperly packaged oxygen generators activating, excessive heat [35]
FedEx Express Flight 1406 5 September 1996 McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10CF Stewart International Airport, New York, United States 0/5 Cargo fire Undetermined [36]
Propair Flight 420 18 June 1998 Fairchild Metroliner SA226 Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Quebec, Canada 11/11 Landing-gear fire Overheated dragged tires [37]
Swissair Flight 111 2 September 1998 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 10 km SW of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada 229/229 Electrical fire Flammable materials around in-flight entertainment wires [38]
Air France Flight 4590 25 July 2000 Concorde Gonesse, Île-de-France, France 109/109[c] Fuel tank/Engine fire Foreign object damage on landing gear [39]
China Northern Airlines Flight 6136 7 May 2002 McDonnell Douglas MD-82 Bohai Bay, near Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, Liaoning, China 112/112 Cabin fire Intentional gasoline fire, attempted insurance fraud [40]
UPS Airlines Flight 6 3 September 2010 Boeing 747-400F Near Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2/2 Cargo fire Autoignition of cargo pallet with lithium batteries [41]
Asiana Airlines Flight 991 28 July 2011 Boeing 747-400F East China Sea, 160 km (99 mi) W of Jeju City, Jeju Province, South Korea 2/2 Cargo fire Undetermined [42]
EgyptAir Flight 804 19 May 2016 Airbus A320-232 Mediterranean Sea, 280 km (170 mi) N of Alexandria 66/66 Cabin/Cockpit fire[d] Disputed; bombing (ECAA), leaking oxygen mask (BEA) [43][44]

Notes

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  1. ^ This represents where the fire first started, even if it ended up elsewhere in the aircraft
  2. ^ A total of 125 people were killed as one person was killed on the ground
  3. ^ A total of 113 people were killed as four people were killed on the ground
  4. ^ The ECAA claimed that the fire started in the forward galley while the BEA claimed that the fire started in the cockpit

References

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  1. ^ "Fire in the Air". SkyBrary. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Fire Research". Federal Aviation Administration Fire Safety. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Passenger Cabin Fire". SkyBrary. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Cargo Fire Safety – Cargo Hazards, Risks, and Mitigations". Federal Aviation Administration Fire Safety. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b Simon, Jeff (24 February 2020). "AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE: FIGHTING A COCKPIT FIRE". Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Fire in Flight". Aviation Safety Magazine. Aviation Safety Staff. 29 May 2002. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b Rossier, Robert N. (4 February 2016). "AIRCRAFT FIRES". Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  8. ^ Rebekah (8 December 2019). "How common are commercial airplane fires?". FireSystems.neet. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Hazard: Passenger Baggage". Federal Aviation Administration Fire Safety. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  10. ^ "What Is Thermal Runaway?". UL Research Institute. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Flashover". SkyBrary. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  12. ^ Pennington, Ryan. "Three Lessons from the Fire Behavior Lab" (PDF). Connecticut Fire Academy. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  13. ^ "FAA Fact Sheet: Improvements to Aircraft Survivability" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Protecting Aircraft and Passengers from Cargo Fires" (PDF). SkyBrary. Safety First. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Halon Fire Extinguishers". SkyBrary. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  16. ^ "What is the Halon fire extinguisher and its use?". Industrial Safety Guide. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  17. ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Douglas DC-6 NC37510, Friday 24 October 1947". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  18. ^ "United Airlines Flight 608 accident report" (PDF). asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  19. ^ Schlussbericht der Eidgenössischen Flugunfall-Untersuchungskommission über den Unfall des Swissair-Flugzeuges SE-210 Caravelle III HB-ICV am 4. September 1963 bei Dürrenäsch AG Sitzung der Kommission 10. März 1965 [Final report of the Federal Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission on the accident of the Swissair aircraft SE-210 Caravelle III HB-ICV on September 4, 1963 near Dürrenäsch AG - Commission meeting March 10, 1965"] (PDF) (Report) (in German). Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board. 10 March 1965. 1963/37. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  20. ^ Aircraft Accident Report. Mohawk Airlines Inc. BAC 1-11, N1116J Near Blossberg, Pennsylvania June 23, 1967 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. 18 April 1968. AAR68-AG. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  21. ^ Accident description for DM-SEA at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 9 March 2024.
  22. ^ Denes, Benjamin; Spaeth, Andreas (13 August 2022). ""Mayday! Kurs 90 Grad, unmöglich Höhe zu halten."" [Mayday! Course 90 degrees, impossible to maintain altitude.]. Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting (in German). Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  23. ^ RAPPORT FINAL de la Commission d'Enquête sur l'accident survenu au Boeing 707 PP-VJZ de la Compagnie Varig à SAULX-les-CHARTREUX, le 11 juillet 1973 [FINAL REPORT of the Commission of Inquiry into the accident to the Boeing 707 PP-VJZ of the Varig Company in SAULX-les-CHARTREUX, on July 11, 1973] (PDF) (Report) (in French). French Secretariat of Transportation. 6 April 1976. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  24. ^ Accident description for AP-AWZ at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 9 March 2024.
  25. ^ Aircraft Accident Report Saudi Arabian Airlines Lockheed L-1011, HZ -AHK Riyadh, Saudi Arabia August 19th 1980 (PDF) (Report). Presidency of Civil Aviation. 16 January 1982. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  26. ^ Aircraft Accident Report—Pilgrim Airlines Flight 458, deHavilland DHC-6-100, N127PM, Near Providence, Rhode Island, February 21, 1982 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. 20 July 1982. NTSB-AAR-82-7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  27. ^ Aircraft Accident Report: Air Canada Flight 797, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, C-FTLU, Greater Cincinnati International Airport, Covington, Kentucky, June 2, 1983 (Supersedes NTSB/AAR-84/09) (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. 31 January 1986. NTSB/AAR-86/02. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  28. ^ INFORME Y DICTAMEN DE ACCIDENTE – 31 DE MARZO DE 1986 – AERONAVE BOEING 727-200 MATRICULA XA-MEM – CERRO DE SAN MIGUEL EL ALTO, MUNICIPIO DE MARAVATIO, ESTADO DE MICHOACAN [ACCIDENT REPORT AND FINDINGS - 31 MARCH 1986 - AIRCRAFT BOEING 727-200 REGISTRATION XA-MEM - CERRO DE SAN MIGUEL EL ALTO, MUNICIPALITY OF MARAVATIO, STATE OF MICHOACAN] (PDF) (Report) (in Spanish). General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics Aviation Accident Investigation and Determination Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  29. ^ Accident description for SP-LBG at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 13 March 2024.
  30. ^ Report of the Board of Inquiry into the loss of South African Airways Boeing 747-22B Combi Aircraft "Helderberg" in the Indian Ocean on November 28th 1987 (PDF) (Report). Mango Commission. 14 May 1990. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  31. ^ "Helderberg Conspiracy" (PDF) (PDF). Carte Blanche. 4 June 2000.
  32. ^ McDonnell-Douglas DC-8-61, C-GMXQ, accident at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 11 July 1991 (PDF) (Report). Presidency of Civil Aviation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  33. ^ Accident description for AF-319 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 9 March 2024.
  34. ^ Accident description for RA-85656 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 13 March 2024.
  35. ^ In-Flight Fire and Impact with Terrain, ValuJet Airlines Flight 592, DC-9-32, N904VJ, Everglades, Near Miami, Florida, May 11, 1996 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. 19 August 1997. NTSB/AAR-97/06. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  36. ^ In-flight Fire/Emergency Landing, Federal Express Flight 1406, Stewart International Airport, Newburgh, New York, September 5, 1996 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. 22 July 1998. NTSB/AAR-98/03. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  37. ^ IN-FLIGHT FIRE—LANDING GEAR WELL PROPAIR INC. SWEARINGEN SA226-TC C-GQAL MIRABEL / MONTRÉAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, QUEBEC 18 JUNE 1998 (PDF) (Report). Transportation Safety Board of Canada. A98Q0087. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 November 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  38. ^ Aviation Investigation Report In-Flight Fire Leading to Collision with Water Swissair Transport Limited McDonnell Douglas MD-11 HB-IWF Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia 5 nm SW 2 September 1999 Report Number A98H0003 (PDF) (Report). Transportation Safety Board of Canada. A98H0003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  39. ^ Accident on 25 July 2000 at La Patte d’Oie in Gonesse (95) to the Concorde registered F-BTSC operated by Air France (PDF) (Report). Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety. f-sc000725a. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  40. ^ Criminal occurrence description for B-2138 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 8 March 2024.
  41. ^ Air Accident Investigation Report - Uncontained Cargo Fire Leading to Loss of Control Inflight and Uncontrolled Descent Into Terrain (PDF) (Report). General Civil Aviation Authority. 24 July 2013. 13/2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 November 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  42. ^ Aircraft Accident Report Crash Into The Sea After An In-Flight Fire Asiana Airlines Boeing 747-400F, HL7604 International Waters 130 km West Of Jeju Int'l Airport 28 July 2011 (PDF) (Report). Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board. 24 July 2015. ARAIB/AAR1105. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  43. ^ Final Report EgyptAir A320 Aircraft crash in the Mediterranean, registered SU-GCC, flight number MSR804, from Charles De-Gaulle Airport, Paris to Cairo International Airport, on 19/05/2016 (Report). Ministry of Civil Aviation (Egypt). 30 October 2024. EGAI2016-01. Retrieved 18 January 2025.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  44. ^ Oxygen fire in cockpit study - Accident to the A320 registered SU_GCC on 19 May 2016 (PDF) (Report). Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety. December 2023. BEA2016-0093. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
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