If it is generally agreed that there WAS a fire on this aircraft, then that makes it the 2nd cargo hull loss in a relatively short time with fire confirmed/alleged on board after LH @ Ryadh.
@blind pew
never mind, thanks for reminding us of that incident. I was fully aware of it, knew the FO on and off, can't recall who the captain was. It was a massive piece of great airmanship, they could have done with a medal or so for saving that one.
@Huck
That is basically true. The crew landed with their goggles pressed against the instruments. They walked away from it - just barely.....
I recall reading the NTSB report on that one and that the PIC and FE were severely criticized because in the rush to get down NOW they forgot one or two items, which the experts afterwards found could have contributed to the difficulties in extinguishing the fire. I thought to myself even then, and that was pre- SR111, that this was a fairly easy thing to say to them for someone who had not been there. With the background of SR330 (bomb explosion with fire) I thought even then they did a phantastic job to get it down and to be alive.
We don't know if this was an issue here, from what our friends who overheard the whole thing (and how terrible that must be I don't want to contemplate), it may well have been.