Close call: H-46 catches fire on carrier

[rotornut]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a26_1190194748

[Flashover999]

Wow! imagine the difference if they had been further away from ship or the fire had been worse!
I wonder what caused it?

Well found Rotornut.

[Flying Bull]

Hi Flashover,
the fire had been worse? Haven't you seen the video?
The fire lit of at about takeoff, 10 sec into the film.
They smaked the bird down another 10 sec ish from the first call and started to evacuate the bird, by then the flames, were quite mighty in the back - nobody tried to get out there, even so the back was open.
If the fire came 10 sec later, they might have had to ditch or even worse.
They should have played the lotterie that day, lots of luck was involved!
Greetings Flying Bull

[MSP Aviation]

"Get out of the way! Get! Out! Of! The! Way!"

Fascinating video, thanks for sharing.

[skadi]

Flashover999 wrote
I wonder what caused it?

I suggest a broken fuel line.....?

skadi

[Heli-Ice]

That must have been exciting.

Good they managed to land safely. :ok:

[helopat]

This video has been around for awhile...happened quite a few years ago (phrogs are being phased out by most of the US Navy and Marines).

Not sure what caused ignition, but it was a hydraulic fluid fire (ruptured line).

HP

[fhvn4d]

When i was stationed at MCAS New River during desert storm we had EXACTLY this kind of fire....Except that this fire was caused by the APU coming off its mounts. The APU has its own fuel storage and when it ripped off its mount, the storage tank spilled its contents onto the APU exhuast and the fire started. The APU sat on a shelf or something , but there was definitly dripping fuel when we arrived on that one. The way this fire does not drip at all or spray in a jet makes me wonder about a hydraulic line. in all honesty it seems too clean burning to be either because theres virtually no smoke being generated, which indicates to me an instantly VERY HOT flame, and complete combustion of whatever it is thats fueling the fire. IN all likelyhood its JP4 across something hot to burn it so cleanly. Either way.... very interesting video!. Wish i had my camera back in the 90s. Saw an AV-8B at Bouge field blow its APU... talk about FLAME.. it shot a flame about 10 feet out of the apu exhaust.... very cool!