TESTS OF CRASH-RESISTANT FUEL SYSTEM FOR GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT

A significant percentage of general aviation aircraft accidents result in postcrash fires due to the ignition of fuel spillage, often contributing to injury or death to the aircraft occupants. Testing was performed to demonstrate the performance of light-weight, flexible, crash-resistant fuel cells combined with the use of frangible fuel line couplings. Included in these tests were four full-scale crash tests of a typical light twin aircraft. In three tests, the crash-resistant fuel system performed satisfactorily. The fourth and final test, where the lightest weight tanks were used, resulted in tank failures and demonstrated a possible lower strength limit to the tank material. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center

  Federal Aviation Administration
  Atlantic City, NJ  United States  08405

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Systems R&D Service, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States 
• Authors:
  • Perrella, WMJ
• Publication Date: 1978-12

Media Info

• Pagination: 38 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Aircraft; Aviation safety; Casualties; Chemical spills; Couplers; Crash tests; Crashworthiness; Fires; Flexible structures; Fuel system components; Fuel tanks; Fuels; General aviation; General aviation aircraft; Ignition; Lightweight materials; Small aircraft; Spills (Pollution); Strength of materials; Test procedures
• Old TRIS Terms: Aircraft fires; Crash resistance; Fuel fires; Fuel lines; Spilling
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Energy; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00191384
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FAA-RD-78-122 Final Rpt., FAA-NA-78-48
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 26 1979 12:00AM