Fuel explosions

[TooMuchTravel]

Hi there,

I have some questions about fuel on planes. Generally the only time I get really scared is during take off as I'm concerned about sitting on top of all that jet fuel.

Are there any statistics that determine the safest place to sit on a plane in the event that it crashes after landing? (I.e. to avoid the fireball and fire)

What would happen if there was a complete engine failure immediately after takeoff? If the plane was high enough, could it turn around and glide back down? Do planes have the capability to dump fuel in the event of a problem?

I know that airlines have to follow regulations about minimum distances from emergency landing sites, but how feasible is a safe landing on the ocean. Has it occured before?


Thanks

An anxious regular traveller.

[tusphotog]

Dear Anxious Regular Traveler--

Not all planes have fuel dump capability. They only install this if a plane has a substantially higher max takeoff weight than max landing weight. I.e. a 747 or A330. These things can carry a lot of gas and if they were to land fully loaded, they'd probably destroy the landing gear. It could be done, but only in extreme emergencies. 737s and planes like that can land just fine with full fuel tanks--it would just require a "overweight landing inspection" to make sure the pilots didn't bend anything that shouldn't be bent (like a gear strut).

The only narrowbody plane that I know of that has fuel dump capabilities is the 727.

[MathFox]

Even if you are a very frequent flyer (2 flights daily, 365 days/year) on the airlines it will well over 100 years between plane incidents; most likely you'll survive because in only one in 10 incidents people are killed.
Are there any statistics that determine the safest place to sit on a plane in the event that it crashes after landing? (I.e. to avoid the fireball and fire)
They tried, but the results were inconclusive... BTW, the fireballs they show you in movies are from the special effects department; in practice cars and planes burn slower (it takes a few minutes for the fire to spread) and the passengers can evacuate and walk away from the flames.

Engine failures are rare... multiple engines failing at (near) the same time is extremely rare. Pilots get those scenarios in the simulator anyway. Yes, a professional pilot can glide a jet to a safe landing, if there is a suitable (smooth and flat) landing place available. Water makes a good landing place: it is flat, no trees and rocks... and the plane will float if you don't let water in though doors or windows.

[ThrottleHold]

Not all planes have fuel dump capability. They only install this if a plane has a substantially higher max takeoff weight than max landing weight. I.e. a 747 or A330. These things can carry a lot of gas and if they were to land fully loaded, they'd probably destroy the landing gear. It could be done, but only in extreme emergencies.

The A330 is certified to conduct a CAT IIIa autoland on a single engine at up to Max Take Off Weight.
Therefore, we do not have fuel dump capability on our 330's.

[Captain Hutch]

Dear anxious regular traveler,

You have brought up a number of interesting questions relating to the fact that here you are as a passenger sitting in a jet containing a large amount of fuel that it needs to get you where you are going. I will give you my opinion from the pilot's perspective, but I think other monitors on this website are more qualified to handle the fear factor that can be generated by looking at all the pictures of airplane accidents involving fires. Of course if there were no fuel then the chances of a fire would be greatly diminished. There was a DC-8 few years ago that ran out of fuel and crashed landed. As I recall there was little if any fire and most people survived.

All our emergencies concerning fires are taken extremely seriously. In case of an engine fire the engine is shut down and the fuel line to that engine is specifically shut off by manually engaging a shut off valve. A fire suppressant is then deployed to that area. In case of a cargo fire, fire suppressant is also deployed in that area.
Once on the ground, if the fire is still going the captain will order an immediate evacuation. Here is where a little preparation on your part can save your life. As soon as you walk on the airplane look around for the exits. Check the aisle floor for the emergency floor track lighting that runs the length of the airplane and note how the track lighting marks where the exits are. If there is a lot of smoke in the cabin it will be in the upper part and you may have to crawl on the floor to the exit, in which case the track lighting might be your only guide to where the exit is. Once you sit down think about how you would get to each exit. In an evacuation the flight attendants may have to determine which side of the aircraft you should or shouldn't exit depending on which side of the aircraft the fire is and so the nearest exit may not be available to you.

Ditching, which is a controlled landing into the water, can be relatively safe. The aircraft will float for a while allowing the passengers to exit. One key point to remember here, and the flight attendant actually does state this in her announcement, is to wait until you are out of the aircraft to inflate your life vest. If you inflate your life vest while still in the aircraft then water entering the aircraft will float you to the top of the aircraft while you are still inside and you won't be able to get down to the exit. I believe there was a B767 that ditched off the coast of California a few years ago and many lives were lost because of this very situation, though many were saved because the passengers waited before inflating their life vest.

The subject of landing immediately after takeoff has been covered in other threads, so check those for more info.

There are a few websites that seem to have some statistics concerning the safest place to sit, though I don't know how reliable they are. And every pilot I know has his own personal preference on where to sit. My personal preference is toward the rear of the aircraft since I believe the front portion of the aircraft will do more of the absorbing of the sudden stopping of a large amount of mass from a physics point of view.

I'm a little short on time for now, but let me know if this addresses most of your concerns.

Thanks,

Hutch :tiphat:

[Captain Hutch]

I have an amendment I'd like to add to my above post about the emergency floor track lighting. I am not sure about how many aircraft have the strip lighting on the aisle floor to mark the emergency exits--I believe much of this type lighting has been replaced by lights that are actually on the sides of the aisle seats a few inches above the floor. In either case you as a passenger need to check to see where these lights are and how the lights at the emergency rows are marked. One type of light that I know of actually has a lighted exit sign. Therefore think about how you might have to crawl along the floor and look for this light so that you can find the aircraft exit.

As always, take comfort in the things that you do have control over and leave the worrying to the pilots who are most concerned about your and their own safety.

Hutch :tiphat: