article

Doesn’t the evidence provided by A350 Tokyo Fire justify tougher specifications?

Posted: 15 October 2024 | | No comments yet

Aviation firefighting is becoming increasingly complex with larger aircraft, more passengers, bigger fuel loads, new composite materials. All at a time of increasingly frequent near-miss incidents, runway incursions and hotter summer temperatures – globally. Mike Willson, Director of Willson Consulting, asks, could evidence from the January 2nd 2024 Airbus A350 crash and fire in Tokyo highlight extra cautions necessary, missing from current fire test approval specifications and firefighter training? Find his references below.

References:

  1. Japan International Transport and Tourism Institute (USA), May 2024 – Japan’s Response to Aviation Accidents as Seen in the Haneda Airport Ground Collision https://www.jittiusa.org/jitti-journal-2/may-2024
  2. The Guardian, 3Jan.2024 – ‘Miracle’ escape for passengers after horrific runway crash at Tokyo airport https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/02/japan-airlines-plane-fire-tokyo-haneda-airport?CMP=share_btn_link
  3. BBC News ,3Jan.2024 – Japan jet crash: Passengers describe chaos inside flight 516 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67865132
  4. ABC News, 3Jan.2024 – What caused the Japan Airlines plane collision and how passengers were evacuated safely https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-03/japan-airlines-crash-collision-tokyo-haneda-fire-passengers/103281962?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=mail
  5. Reuters, 3Jan.2024 – Five dead after JAL airliner crashes into quake aid plane art Tokyo airport https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/fire-breaks-out-plane-runway-japans-tokyo-haneda-airport-nhk-2024-01-02/
  6. Financial Times, 4Jan.2024 – Japan Airlines fire to give insights into latest manufacturing materials https://www.ft.com/content/f0903192-dc12-4c13-a04c-2136833b773b
  7. ABC News 4Jan.2024 – Tokyo Air Traffic Control transcript suggests only one plane had permission to be on the runway before deadly Japan Airlines collision https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-04/japan-airlines-crash-permission-to-land-coast-guard-not-cleared/103283704?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=mail
  8. The Independent, 4Jan.2024 – Japan Airlines passengers and crew praised for ‘textbook’ evacuation of burning plane https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/japan/japan-airlines-flight-crash-passengers-b2472424.html
  9. Japan Today, 5Jan.2024 – Japan crash marks test of how new carbon jets cope in disaster https://japantoday.com/category/national/analysis-japan-crash-marks-test-of-how-new-carbon-jets-cope-in-a-disaster1
  10. The Independent, 7Jan.2024 – Japan Airlines Crash: How the Airbus’ new fireproofing helped all 379 passengers survive https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/japan-airlines-crash-flight-123-airbus-a350-b2474222.html
  11. FAA (Scheffey,Darwin and Hunt), 2012 – Methodologies for Calculating Firefighting Agent Quantities Needed to Combat Aircraft Crash Fires Report DOT/FAA/A11/29 http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar11-29.pdf
  12. US Naval Safety Center, 2019 – Lesson Learned: Firefighting – Hazards of Aircraft Composite Materials 19-04, https://navalsafetycommand.navy.mil/Portals/29/Documents/LL%2019-04%20Firefighting%20-%20Hazards%20of%20Aircraft%20Composite%20Materials.pdf?ver=Qwf16DbuXwXLAO5dPQJnlQ%3D%3D
  13. Sigma-Aldrich, 2022 – Safety Data Sheet Methyl Ethyl ketone Peroxide https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/AU/en/sds/aldrich/743003?sdslanguage=EN
  14. US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Sep.2020 – TC20/19 Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Strategies and Tactical considerations for New Larger Aircraft: Update https://www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov/Products/Airport-Safety-Papers-Publications/Airport-Safety-Detail/ArtMID/3682/ArticleID/2843/Aircraft-Rescue-and-Firefighting-Strategies-and-Tactical-Considerations-for-New-Large-Aircraft-Update
  15. European Commission (EC) Cordis Sep.2014 – Fire risks assessment and increase of passenger survivability AIRCRAFTFIRE Report ID:265612 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/265612/reporting
  16. US FAA, Jun.2009 – Composite Material Fire Fighting https://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/pdf/materials/June09Meeting/hode-0609-CompositeFuselageFirefightingWork.pdf
  17. US Defence Systems Information Analysis Center (DSAIC), Nov.2019 – Fire risks with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites https://dsiac.org/articles/fire-risks-with-fiber-reinforced-polymer-frp-composites/
  18. Dahlbom S, Mallin T and Bobert M (RI.SE) Feb.2022 – Fire Test Performance of Eleven PFAS-free Class B Firefighting Foams Varying Fuels, Admixture, Water types and Foam Generation Techniques, Research Institute of Sweden https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10694-022-01213-6
  19. Simple Flying 24 Dec.2023 – FAA Identifies 19 Near miss incidents in 2023: The most in 7 years https://simpleflying.com/faa-near-miss-incidents-2023/#:~:text=Summary,January%202024%20to%20improve%20safety
  20. ICAO (international Civil Aviation Organization), 2015 – Airport Service Manual Doc 9137- AN/898 Part 1, Rescue and Fire Fighting 4th Edition , relevant Chapters 8 , 10,12, https://ufuav.asn.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/operations-manual.pdf
  21. US Military Specification MIL-PRF-32725, 2023 – Performance Specification, Fire Extinguishing Agent – Fluorine Free Foam (F3) Liquid Concentrate for Land-Based, Freshwater applications, 6Jan.2023 https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jan/12/2003144157/-1/-1/1/MILITARY-SPECIFICATION-FOR-FIRE-EXTINGUISHING-AGENT-FLUORINE-FREE-FOAM-F3-LIQUID-CONCENTRATE-FOR-LAND-BASED-FRESH-WATER-APPLICATIONS.PDF
  22. US Military Specification MiL-PRF-24385F(SH) Amendment 4, 2020 – Fire Extinguishing Agent, Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) Liquid Concentrate, for fresh and Seawater, 7April 2020 https://quicksearch.dla.mil/Transient/D1698E19636543EABB1FB936AB3D69FB.pdf
  23. Aviation A2Z, 3Feb.2024 – Japan Airlines issues Final Report on A350 Crash New Injuries https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2024/02/03/japan-airlines-issues-report-on-a350-crash-injuries/
  24. The Guardian, 19Jul.2022 – UK reaches hottest ever temperature as 40.2oC recorded at Heathrow [London airport] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/19/uk-weather-record-hottest-day-ever-heatwave
  25. New York Times, 10Jan.2023 – The last 8 years were the hottest on record https://www.nytimes.com/interractive/2023/climate/earth-hottest-years.html
  26. European Centre for Medium Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 9Jan.2024 – 2023 was hottest year on record, Copernicus data show https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-centre/news/2024/2023-was-hottest-year-record-copernicus-data-show#:~:text=High%20temperatures%20from%20June%20onwards,(C3S)%20implemented%20by%20ECMWF.
  27. New Scientist, 8Dec.2023 – World predicted to break 1.5oC warming limit for first time in 2024 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2407266-world-predicted-to-break-1-5c-warming-limit-for-first-time-in-2024/
  28. Wang K, Peng X, et al, Jan.2023 – Decreased Aircraft Take-off Performance Under Global Warming https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366853675_Decreased_Aircraft_Takeoff_Performance_under_Global_Warming
  29. US Naval Research Laboratory (Conroy & Anath), 2015 – Fuel surface cooling by Aqueous Foam: A Pool Fire Suppression Mechanism https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274737638_Fuel_Surface_Cooling_by_Aqueous_Foam_A_Pool_Fire_Suppression_Mechanism
  30. US Naval Research Laboratory (Conroy, Fleming & Anath), 2017 – Surface Cooling of a Pool Fire by Aqueous Foams https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311732795_Surface_Cooling_of_a_Pool_Fire_by_Aqueous_Foams
  31. US Naval Research Laboratory (Hinnant et al) 2017 – Influence of fuel on foam degradation for fluorinated and fluorine-free foams https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314107949_Influence_of_fuel_on_foam_degradation_for_fluorinated_and_fluorine-free_foams
  32. US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL-Snow, Hinnant et al), 2019 – Fuel for Firefighting Foam Evaluations: Gasoline v Heptane, NRL/MR/6123—19-9895 https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1076690.pdf
  33. US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL – Hinnant, Snow, Ananth et al), Nov. 2019 – “Characterising role of Fluorocarbon and Hydrocarbon Surfactants in Firefighting Foams for Fire Suppression” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10694-019-00932-7
  34. US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL – Hinnant, Ananth, Farley, Snow et al) – May 2020 – Extinction Performance Summary of Commercial Fluorine Free Firefighting Foams over a 28ft2 Pool Fire Detailed by MIL-PRF-24385, Report NRL/MR/6185-20-10, 031 https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1100426.pdf
  35. US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL – Hinnant, Ananth, Farley, Snow et al) – May 2020 – Extinction Performance Summary of Commercial Fluorine Free Firefighting Foams over a 28ft2 Pool Fire Detailed by MIL-PRF-24385, Report NRL/MR/6185-20-10, 031 https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1100426.pdf
  36. NFPA 460:2024 Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Services at Airports https://www.nfpa.org/product/nfpa-460-standard/p0460code
  37. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) of America, Research Foundation, 2020 – “Evaluation of the fire protection effectiveness of fluorine free firefighting foams”, https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/1safehealthshs/effectivenessofflourinefreefoam.pdf
  38. Air BP, Mar.2021 – Jet A1 Safety Data Sheet skyfuel.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Jet-A-1-Australia-SDS.pdf
  39. Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology, Aug. 2020 – Uses of Composite materials in Aviation https://www.spartan.edu/news/use-of-composite-materials-in-aviation/
  40. US National Transportation Safety Board, Accident Report Continental DC-10 crash, 1Mar 1978 – https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/Continental603_Acc_Report.pdf
  41. Jacdec – Korean Air B777 engine fire, Tokyo, 27May 2016 – http://www.jacdec.de/2016/05/27/2016-05-27-korean-air-boeing-777-300-engine-fire-at-tokyo-haneda/
  42. Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, Singapore Final Report B777-300ER Engine Fire, 27Jun. 2016 – https://skybrary.aero/sites/default/files/bookshelf/4092.pdf
  43. UK Civil Aviation Authority, CAP437 Standards for Offshore Helicopter Landing Areas, Feb.2023 -Chpt.5: Helideck rescue and firefighting https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/12321
  44. Griggs G, 2020 – Coastal Airports and Rising Sea Levels https://meridian.allenpress.com/jcr/article/36/5/1079/438697/Coastal-Airports-and-Rising-Sea-Levels
  45. Dlugogorski B & Schaefer T, 2021 – Compatibility of AFFF with seawater https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379711221000151#:~:text=The%20compatibility%20of%20AFFF%20with%20sea%20water%20represents%20a%20combined,comparison%20to%20that%20of%20pH

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Send this to a friend