Tuesday morning's fatal crash of a Cessna 310 in Sanford, Fla., soon after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, should be a reminder to pilots of how fast smoke and fire can travel in an airplane. According to a January 2006 article in AVweb sister publication Aviation Safety, "an in-flight fire is a bona fide emergency … [and] you could have a matter of seconds before the fire incapacitates you or causes catastrophic engine or airframe failure, or more than enough time to find the nearest airport and land." In any case, time is of the essence during an in-flight fire since "the elapsed time between the first indication of a hidden fire and the point at which an aircraft is catastrophically uncontrollable has ranged between seven and 35 minutes, with an average of 20 minutes," according to a study referenced in the story. Possible indications of an in-flight fire are odor, smoke, component failure or uncommanded operation, sudden drop in fuel flow on fuel-injected engines, tripped breakers, hot spots, and/or electromagnetic interference. The article also gives some sage advice on what to do if an in-flight fire should strike your airplane.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/in-flight-fire-what-to-do