Aircraft Accident Investigation: Fire and Material Failures
By N. Albert Moussa, PhD, PE
Mr. Andy McMinn, MS, PE
Course Outline
- Introduction
- Investigation process (ICAO, NTSB, FAA)
- Anatomy of a fire accident; accident precursors
- Forensic tools, NFPA 921
- Timeline and pathline reconstruction
- Flammability of Fuels, Oils and Hydraulics
- Current and alternate compositions (biofuels)
- Vapor pressure, flash/fire points
- Ignition and flame temperatures
- 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 (B747 New York)
- Engine Fires
- Uncontained engine failures (CF6, Sioux City, IA; Trent 972, A380, Singapore)
- Hot surface vs. auto ignition temperature tests
- Full-scale tests on AV8-B and simulated F-16
- Post-Crash Fires
- Pool v. trailing fires (B720 NASA, A340 Toronto)
- Electrical and Battery Fires
- Wiring problems (L1011, Riyadh)
- Li and Li ion battery fires in device (laptop), cargo shipment and APU (B787, Boston)
- Origins, fixes and challenges
- Flammability of Polymeric Materials
- Thermal degradation, ignition, flaming, smoldering, smoke, toxicity, flame retardants
- FAR 25.853 test methods
- Effects of pressure and oxygen concentration
- Cabin Fires
- Breached fuselage vs. burn-through
- Flammability of seats and panels
- Flashover (full scale FAA tests)
- Passenger evacuation (B737, Manchester, UK)
- Fires in Cargo and Hidden Areas
- Ventilation and smoke movement
- Federal Express, Boston
- Oxygen generator fire (DC-9 Everglades)
- Flammability of Composite Structures
- Unique properties of composites
- Thermal degradation model
- Composites v. Aluminum structures
- Carbon v. glass fibers in UAVs
- Fire/Explosion Pattern Recognition
- In-flight v. ground fires: (MD-11, NS, Canada)
- Pre v. post crash fires (CRJ-100, Lexington, KY)
- Internal v. External fire (B777 San Francisco)
- Explosives v. fuel vapor explosions (TWA 800)
- Structural dynamic failures
- Contributory human factors
- Lessons learned
- Material Failure Analysis and Identification
- Structures
- Metallurgy
- Instantaneous failures: ductile v. brittle overload
- Progressive failures: fatigue, corrosion, creep, wear
- Site Documentation
- Diagramming
- Photography: digital, GPS mapping, aerial
- Reconstructions
- Aircraft Structural Failures
- In-flight breakup investigations
- Mid-air collision investigations
- Turbine Engine Component Failure
- High/low impact angle
- High/low RPM & power estimation at impact