Don't use ABC fire extinguishers!

[Sam Buchanan]

Originally Posted by vic syracuse

Link to pics is attached. In one you will see the two bolts that hold the forward part of the control column to the spar. You will see one bolt inserted and one standing quite proud. When the seat pan was removed you could see that one bolt was not even through the spar and the other bolt did not have a nut on it!

https://photos.shutterfly.com/library


Vic

The link requires a log-in to view the photos.

[vic syracuse]

My apologies. New to Shutterfly. Here is correct link that does not require a login

https://baselegphotos.shutterfly.com/pictures#n_5

Vic

[TimO]

The thing that really makes this story good in the end, is that they brought it to you, Vic. I don't even want to think about the ramifications to the pilot, the family, and then to the RV community, the insurance pool, and on and on, if you weren't brought into the picture. There are so many ways this could have completely never been brought to anyone's attention and had disastrous results. It's great that you are who you are, to this community.

[TS Flightlines]

Wow===just WOW.

Tom

[arffguy]

I've been saying this for years:


My nickname for ABC extinguishers is:

"Corrosion In A Can"


I finally saw some proof. Thanks Vic!

[rjcthree]

I?m betting this will get sticky between the parties, and I bet the owner is just sick, but from a case study standpoint, it?s really valuable. Thanks for sharing.

[TJCF16]

I look at this totally in a different view. ABC fire extinguishers are good fire extinguisher. They do an excellent job on electrical fires! When I pull that pin On my ABC fire extinguisher I figure the airplane belongs to the insurance company. Halon is good, but you take a chance of suffocating yourself. I have heard people say there is to much air flow for that to happen. If that is true then it isn?t going to put out your fire either. On more thing, if you have a fire behind your dash and try and use Halon it will settle to the floor very fast. Just not a good choice IMHO. Just some food for thought! I just want to make it to the ground to fly another day.

[rv7boy]

Two different topics here. Fire while flying and fire on the ground.

Original topic is use of ABC fire extinguisher due to fire during first engine start (ON THE GROUND) and resulting corrosion due to the ABC powder in the airframe.

The fire while flying topic should be discussed in another thread.

[Captain Avgas]

Originally Posted by TJCF16

I look at this totally in a different view. ABC fire extinguishers are good fire extinguisher. They do an excellent job on electrical fires! When I pull that pin On my ABC fire extinguisher I figure the airplane belongs to the insurance company. Halon is good, but you take a chance of suffocating yourself. I have heard people say there is to much air flow for that to happen. If that is true then it isn’t going to put out your fire either. On more thing, if you have a fire behind your dash and try and use Halon it will settle to the floor very fast. Just not a good choice IMHO. Just some food for thought! I just want to make it to the ground to fly another day.

I think you seriously need to do some homework on Halon (and ABC powder) before you make such comments. Much of what you say is incorrect. Halon is used by the military in tanks, submarines, and aircraft because of its unequalled advantages in quickly and effectively suppressing fires in confined situations. It was even used in the space shuttle. Halon is unique in that it does not function by reducing oxygen levels at the source of the fire...it actually disrupts the combustion process itself. So it does not need to deplete oxygen levels to extinguish a fire.
ABC extinguishers are not recommended for use in aircraft. Apart from the fact that ABC agents can cause irreparable corrosion, inhaling the powder can cause choking and lung damage and in a very confined space such as an RV cockpit all vision could be totally obscured. Halon on the other hand will not obscure vision.
The reason for the push to replace Halon comes solely from its ozone layer depleting characteristics. However as an effective fire extinguishing agent for use in confined spaces NOTHING comes close to it. Pound for pound it is also considerably more effective in terms of rapidly extinguishing a fire than any other extinguishing agent. Typically you’ll need over 2 kg of CO2 to achieve the same result as 1 kg of Halon.

[JimWoo50]

Think I read on here that the A component in ABC extinguishers caused the corrosion and that BC extinguishers (mine is white) didn?t. For in the hangar anyway I have Halon in plane.