In-Flight Fire – Maybe in the Rear Engine You Can’t See

[Ernie Martin]

No, there is no data on any fire in the rear-engine compartment of a Skymaster. My research was generally about in-flight fires in GA aircraft, with two noteworthy findings: how little time between first hint and unrecoverable condition (average 7 minutes), and that the more likely location for a fire in older aircraft is in the wiring behind the panel (hence my suggestions on smoke masks and halon extnguishers).

The points made above that air flow in the compartment may preclude fires is interesting and worth pursuing. Maybe there is no cause for my concern about a raging fire while you keep on flying. The fact that Cessna added fire detection on O2s but failed to incorporate it on subsequent 337 models (G and H) may suggest that Cessna did not deem a fire a likely event in non-combat conditions -- after all, the design was done, so adding it would have had little impact on cost or weight.

Ernie