Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370: The Theories

[Peoplesoft bloke]

The author wasn't suggesting the pilot's sandwich box, or something inside the plane, suddenly burst into flames. Obviously low external oxygen and temperature would be useless in that event.
He was proposing a tire[sic] fire, i.e. outside the plane (assuming the pilot could lower the landing gear).

Did you read anything in the link you posted to? A tyre fire isn't "outside the plane" and he emphasised the following -

Fire in an aircraft demands one thing - you get the machine on the ground as soon as possible. There are two well remembered experiences in my memory. The AirCanada DC9 which landed I believe in Columbus Ohio in the eighties. That pilot delayed descent and bypassed several airports. He didn't instinctively know the closest airports. He got it on the ground eventually but lost 30 odd souls

The idea that any sane pilot would climb 5000+ feet to try and extinguish a fire is nuts. There are numerous reasons why - but even the speculation you linked to reinforces the point that if they had a fire of any kind, they would get to a landing site ASAP, nowhere does he make the ridiculous supposition that the pilot gained height to extinguish a fire.

I strongly suspect that lowering the gear at the height/speed they were at would be suicidal too, but I'm less sure of that. I am certain it would be against anything in their training, checklists or SOPs.

[OwlHoot]

I strongly suspect that lowering the gear at the height/speed they were at would be suicidal too

I imagine they would get quite a jolt, but don't forget the air is much thinner at 30,000 feet. Also, if a tyre is on fire inside its housing it might be pretty suicidal _not_ to lower the undercarriage promptly.

A tyre fire isn't "outside the plane"

It mostly is if the undercarriage is down (and the fire hasn't spread).

The idea that any sane pilot would climb 5000+ feet to try and extinguish a fire is nuts. ..

From Descent (aircraft) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A dive may also be used as an emergency maneuver, for example to extinguish an engine fire.

Again, before you doubtless point it out, I agree the manoeuvre would be pretty hairy, and admittedly the pilot wasn't flying a fighter jet, and the author doesn't claim the fire was in an engine. But all the same, perhaps the pilot felt that (being already en route to an emergency landing) it was a possible way to extinguish the fire before it spread.

Also, rising would give the plane a slightly longer glide path if the engines cut out or had to be switched off (to prevent the fuel igniting for example).

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I imagine they would get quite a jolt, but don't forget the air is much thinner at 30,000 feet. Also, if a tyre is on fire inside its housing it might be pretty suicidal _not_ to lower the undercarriage promptly.

Please post a link to any recorded incident where this (climbing to put out a fire) worked on a jet airliner (clue - there aren't any).

It mostly is if the undercarriage is down (and the fire hasn't spread).

But it isn't down unless you put it down so the fire's inside. Putting the gear down at 30K feet would probably upset the aerodynamics so badly that the plane would spin/dive; even if you could do it, you couldn't then climb to 40K.

No sane pilot would even consider this as an option unless they really wanted to make things much much much worse.

From Descent (aircraft) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Again, before you doubtless point it out, I agree the manoeuvre would be pretty hairy, and admittedly the pilot wasn't flying a fighter jet, and the author doesn't claim the fire was in an engine. But all the same, perhaps the pilot felt that (being already en route to an emergency landing) it was a possible way to extinguish the fire before it spread.

Not "Hairy" - insanity.

Also, rising would give the plane a slightly longer glide path if the engines cut out or had to be switched off (to prevent the fuel igniting for example).

I know, let's switch the engines off just in case they catch fire?

The standard practise here - as highlighted by that bloke you linked to, is to get down to the ground ASAP, no-one but a loony would do otherwise.

[Platypus]

Another "sighting"

HaveeruOnline - Maldives island residents report sighting of 'low flying jet'

[OwlHoot]

I know, let's switch the engines off just in case they catch fire?

In the circs, quite possibly - Again, it might be the least bad option if the likely imminent alternative is the plane exploding in a mid-air fireball.

OK what I'll do is register with the Professional Pilots RUmour Network (PPRuNe) forum and ask the same there.

If I take a drubbing from a load of aviation professionals fair enough, but it seems neither of us is entirely sure of our ground here.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

In the circs, quite possibly - Again, it might be the least bad option if the likely imminent alternative is the plane exploding in a mid-air fireball.

OK what I'll do is register with the Professional Pilots RUmour Network (PPRuNe) forum and ask the same there.

If I take a drubbing from a load of aviation professionals fair enough, but it seems neither of us is entirely sure of our ground here.

There aren't many folk with any proper knowledge left posting on PPRUNE, haven't been for ages. I am 99% sure that if the pilots did as you are suggesting, it would have been against everything they had been trained to do and in contravention of any normal behaviour - of course, I wasn't there, but, if you have a fire, get to the ground, and don't "turn off" the engines unless you have a known fault (if a fire in an engine there is an automatic extinguishing system anyway) are pretty standard. If they did anything else, they did on purpose to make it worse, or they were unhinged.

[NickFitz]

OK what I'll do is register with the Professional Pilots RUmour Network (PPRuNe) forum and ask the same there.

If I take a drubbing from a load of aviation professionals fair enough, but it seems neither of us is entirely sure of our ground here.

You will, if it's anything like it used to be. They always seemed to get very fed up with SLF (self-loading freight) cluttering up their forum with random questions when they were trying to have a proper discussion.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

You will, if it's anything like it used to be. They always seemed to get very fed up with SLF (self-loading freight) cluttering up their forum with random questions when they were trying to have a proper discussion.

It isn't like that any more - it's full of uninformed speculators like owlhoot now :-(

[sasguru]

Reading this thread shows that the lower the IQ and level of expertise the higher the speculation and ill-informed guff levels.
Wonder why that is?

[SueEllen]

Reading this thread shows that the lower the IQ and level of expertise the higher the speculation and ill-informed guff levels.
Wonder why that is?

IQ isn't a good measure of intelligence (but I'm aware you know that).

Still it does give an insight into human nature when illogical things happen.