Since October last year there have been 132 incidents involving battery overheats or fires aboard aircraft, according to the FAA. Until the recent series of Boeing 787 incidents, most fires occurred in cargo containers or personal electronic devices carried in the cabin.
Fire extinguisher
August 29, 2012 - 11:30am
A proposed airworthiness directive for certain Cessna 525 air conditioning (A/C) compressor motors was prompted by reports of smoke and/or fire in the tailcone. The AD requires inspection of the number of hours on the A/C compressor hour meter, inspection of the logbook and replacement of the brushes or deactivation of the system until replacement of the brushes. When the brush wears down, the rivet in the brush contacts the commutator, causing sparks and excessive heat build-up within the motor assembly.
April 30, 2012 - 4:10pm
Prompted by two incidents of mis-routed fire extinguisher wires, the FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directive [AD 2012-08-16] for several Learjet 60 models.The AD requires the inspection of electrical leads routed to the fire extinguishing containers for proper identification and to ensure the electrical leads are connected to the correct squibs.
December 21, 2011 - 9:45am
The FAA has issued an NPRM for an Airworthiness Directive targeting the Learjet 60 fire extinguishing system. It is prompted by two incidents of swapped fire-extinguishing wires and would require inspecting the electrical leads routed to the fire-extinguishing containers for proper identification and missing labels; to ensure the electrical leads are connected to the correct squibs; and corrective actions if necessary.
December 14, 2011 - 1:00pm
A new Gulfstream GV and GV-SP airworthiness directive calls for an inspection to determine whether a third Halon fire extinguisher bottle is installed in the APU fragment impact zone, revising the limitations section of the airplane flight manual to add restrictions for APU usage for certain airplanes having a third fire extinguisher bottle, and removing the third fire extinguisher bottle from certain airplanes.
July 29, 2011 - 12:55pm
Air-Care International’s Facts training division has added a new simulator to its stable of cabin safety training devices, an in-flight fire trainer. The mobile unit features a replica of a business jet cabin interior, made of metal so it won’t burn, with an enclosed lavatory, galley and cabin divan seating area.
May 13, 2010 - 9:37am
Kidde Aerospace and Defense, a Hamilton Sundstrand business unit, won a contract from Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (Comac) to provide the fire and overheat protection for the new C919 airliner.
February 24, 2010 - 11:09am
The FAA has issued a request for comments on a final rule for an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for SICLI Halon 1211 portable fire extinguishers installed on various models of airplanes and rotorcraft, including some models built by Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault, Embraer and Eurocopter.
January 26, 2010 - 5:24am
The FAA is seeking comments on an Airworthiness Directive aimed at contaminated Halon 1211 used in some handheld cabin fire extinguishers. According to the FAA, “The contaminated nature of this gas, when used against a fire, may provide reduced fire suppression.
November 11, 2009 - 10:26am
The FAA is issuing an update of advisory circular AC 20-42D: Hand Fire Extinguishers for Use in Aircraft. It provides guidance for firefighting effectiveness, selection, location and mounting of hand fire extinguishers. The circular establishes halocarbons hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) Blend B, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-227ea and HFC-236fa as FAA-approved replacement agents to Halon 1211.
