Fighting Fires

An in-flight fire is most pilots greatest fear, surpassing even a mid-air collision. Although relatively rare, the unique combination of combustible materials and ignition sources available in the typical personal airplane means an in-flight fire must be dealt with quickly and decisively. Doing so usually means disabling systems to deprive the fire of its fuel or ignition sources, and employing a fire extinguisher to smother it. A quick landing, even if off-airport, may be necessary. The problem? Our cockpits feature an abundance of materials capable of sustaining a fire. Carpeting, insulation, upholstery and paper charts are present in even the most basic airplane. This is true even if every scrap of fabric has passed an FAA-approved burn test. Throw in a fuel line or two-whether routed through the fuel selector, flowing via a capillary line to a fuel pressure gauge, or resulting from the designers basic need to move fuel from the tanks to an engine-and youve got another, much more combustible material.

Key Takeaways:

• In-flight fires are a severe threat in aviation, necessitating quick action due to numerous combustible materials and potential ignition sources in aircraft cockpits.
• The article evaluates two primary portable fire extinguisher types: Halon and dry chemical, with the latter being more common and inexpensive.
• Testing revealed that dry chemical extinguishers cause significant visibility impairment, potential breathing difficulties, and leave corrosive residues, making them unsuitable for confined cockpits.
• Halon extinguishers are strongly recommended for aircraft due to their effectiveness in suppressing fires without the adverse visual, respiratory, or corrosive side effects of dry chemical agents.

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