Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection & Investigation

June 4-7, 2024

BlazeTech Corporation
29B Montvale Ave.
Woburn, MA 01801 USA

4-day course in-person. All participants must show proof of compliance with US federal and Massachusetts COVID-19 travel requirements at the time of the course; and those who do not will be denied entrance to the course.

By N. Albert Moussa, PhD, PE

View Brochure/Register

Course Outline

• Introduction
  • Outline of course rational and fire scenarios
  • Reaction types and fire classifications
  • Stages of fire development
• Fuel Tank Fire and Explosion
  • Ullage flammability and deflagration
  • Predict fire/overpressure using BlazeTank
  • N₂ Inerting: 9% vs. 12% O₂
  • Penetration/perforation by debris/bullet impacts
  • SFAR 88: lessons learned (TWA 800, B747, NY)
• Engine Fires
  • Fire in an F-16 simulated engine nacelle
  • Fire tests on a full-scale AV8-B
  • When to use hot surface vs. auto ignition temp.?
  • Protection systems
  • B747 cargo with GEnx engines climbing out of Miami
  • Uncontained engine failures (CF6, DC-10, Sioux City, IA; Trent 972, A380, Singapore)
• Post-Crash Fires
  • Pool fire and anti-misting fuel (Air France 358, A340, Toronto, Canada)
  • Fuel tank explosion (China Airlines, B737, Okinawa)
  • Impact (Asiana 214, B777, San Francisco, CA)
  • Collision of A350 with Coast Guard DHC-8 in Tokyo
• Li- Battery Fires
  • Primary cells, rechargeable cells, battery essentials
  • Battery fire hazards and testing
  • Fire in packing facility at airport, Los Angeles, CA
  • Inadequate battery handling
  • Cabin incidents and protection methods
• Li- Battery Fires in Aircraft
  • UPS 6, B747, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • UPS 1307, DC-8, Philadelphia, PA
  • Fires in APU Japan Airlines, B787, Boston
  • FedEx Express 0004, MD-11, Memphis, Tennessee
  • FedEx and UPS specialized protection systems
• Drones and Safety Implications
  • Electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft
  • Flammability properties of hydrogen
  • Crash fire hazards of hydrogen vs jet fuel
• Flammability of Polymeric Materials
  • Thermal degradation, ignition, flaming, smoldering, smoke, toxicity, flame retardants
  • FAR 25.853 test methods
  • Effects of pressure and oxygen concentration
  • Attendant uniforms
• Cabin Fires
  • Breached fuselage vs. burn-through
  • Flammability of seats and panels
  • Flashover (full scale FAA tests)
  • Passenger evacuation (British Airtours 28M, B737, Manchester, UK)
• Fires in Cargo and Hidden Areas
  • Ventilation and smoke movement
  • FedEx 1406, DC-10-10, Stewart-Newburgh Airport
  • Oxygen generator fire (ValuJet 592, DC-9 Everglades, Miami Dade County, Florida)
• Smoke and Fumes
  • NBS smoke chamber and smoke movement
  • Air Canada 797, DC-8, Cincinnati, OH
  • Cockpit protection equipment
• Electrical Wiring Fires
  • Wire types: Teflon, Tefzel, Kapton, TKT
  • Wiring problems, causes, fixes and challenges
  • Swiss Air 111, MD-11, Nova Scotia
• Flammability of Composite Structures
  • Unique properties of composites
  • Fire test methods
  • Thermal degradation model
  • Composites v. Aluminum structures
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• External Hazards That Can Impact Aircraft
  • Classification of energetic/hazardous materials
  • Detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Air blast from explosives
  • Internal explosions (Pan Am 103, B747, Lockerbie)
  • Structural response: local v. global deformation
  • Shoulder mounted missile (DHL A300, Baghdad)
• Fire Detection Systems
  • Types: smoke, ionization, thermal and optical
  • Pros and cons of various detector types
  • Use in various hazard zone classifications
  • Sources of false alarms
• Fire Suppression Systems
  • Passive and active fire suppression in fuel tanks
  • Halon replacement agents, clutter effects
  • Hand-held systems
  • Ground-based AFFF fire suppression strategies
  • Environmental issues with AFFF
• Aircraft Accident Investigation
  • Investigative process (ICAO, NTSB, FAA)
  • Anatomy of a fire accident; accident precursors
  • Forensic tools, NFPA 921
  • Timeline and pathline reconstruction
  • Critical tests and modeling
  • Contributory human factors
• Summary of Fire/Explosion Pattern Recognition
  • In-flight v. ground fires
  • Pre v. post-crash fires (CRJ-100, Lexington, KY)
  • Explosion: solid v. fuel vapor (TWA 800, B747, NY)
  • Structural failure identifications
  • Impact from debris v. ballistic threats
  • Casualties from smoke inhalation v. thermal injury
  • Lessons learned

Discussions are encouraged throughout the course.

Faculty:

Dr. N. Albert Moussa PhD, PE