Passenger's pocket knife saved airliner

Gollnick

Gollnick

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I was doing a bit of research on an unrelated topic and ran across an article in the June 8th, 2004 USA Today about inflight fires on airplanes.

On a commercial jumbo jet, there is a small space, maybe a foot hight, between what you see as the roof of the cabin and the outside hull of the plane. This space is called the "attic." This space is mostly filled with ventilation ducts, wiring, pipes, etc.

This item from the article caught my attention:

"A fire broke out in the "attic" above the cabin ceiling of an American Airlines flight on November 29, 2000 [pre 9/11], after the MD-80 jet was struck by lightening [aircraft in flight are frequently struck by lightening]. A flight attendant tried to shoot Halon [a fire supressant chemical from a fire extinguisher] at the ceiling panel but it had no effect [of course not. It was a stupid thing to try. Don't they train these people?]. A passenger cut through the ceiling panel with a pocket knife so that the attendant could shoot Halon directly at the fire and put it out."

The article goes on to note, "That solution would no longer be available. Passengers have not been able to carry knives since the terrorists used them in the Sept. 11 hijackings."
 
Good for them. Who knows how bad that could have gotten. Did the article say what kind of knife was used?
 
I miss the good old days, like 2000.

I just came across a box of my Y2K survival items (unused). I was actually sort of looking forward to the entire world shutting down; bartering toilet paper for ammunition and generally running amok.
 
Trixwagen said:
I miss the good old days, like 2000.

QUOTE]

me too. I used to be able to carry a locking folder into courtrooms, on board airlines etc etc people weren't so sheeplish....
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I'm amazed they don't have fire suppression capability in the attic!
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That was one of the key subjects of the article.

Fire suppression systems are expensive (they have them in the engines and cargo compartments (One of the touted features of the Boeing 757 and 767 is that every connector on the plane is unique. There is absolutely no way to mate the wrong connectors because no two pairs are alike head to tail. BUT, there are two pairs on the 757 that, if you push hard enough, will cross-mate. And, of course, those two are right next to each other. If you make this mistake, two things will happen. First, a light will come on in the cockpit indicating that the cargo door is open even if it is not. And, second, as soon as you close the cargo door, the cargo compartment fire suppression system will discharge. Oppsie. Murphy strikes again!).) But, imagine a system which puts fitting into the ceiling about every eight or ten feet. A fire extinguisher with matching fittings is also aboard. That extinguisher can be discharged into the attic through the fittings nearest the fire. Clever, eh?

This article is frightening, though: On Sept 17, 1999, a passenger sitting in in Row 11 of Delta flight 2030 noticed that the floor was hot to the touch. Then, through a vent slot, they could see fire burning inside the floor. A flight attendant went to get a fire extinguisher but the pilot saw her and ordered her not to discharge the extinguisher fearing that the Halon would suck up all the air onboard and sufficate everyone. As flames shot up through the floor, one of the passengers wrestled the extingusher from the attendant and, in definance of the Captain's orders, put the fire out.

The captain was right that Halon bonds with oxygen. But two things are true. First, Halon bonds with oxygen when its hot, i.e. when it's near the fire. That's why it's a great fire suppressant. And, second, the people at Boeing and the FAA who decide what fire extinguishers to put on planes are not stupid. They thought of Halon bonding with oxygen. There is not enough Halon in the extinguishers to sufficate the passengers. Discharge all of the Halon onboard and there'll still be enough oxygen left for people to breath. Who trains these people?
 
Who knows how bad that could have gotten.
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Oh, there's no question of how bad a fire in the attic space could get. Can you say, "There are for exit doors on this MD-80...."

Did the article say what kind of knife was used?
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No.
 
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