Originally Posted by
Dominator2
Is this true, are we stating the the chemical oxygen generator is not fit for purpose as it is likely to catch fire if used?
The following is all an "as I understand it"
Oxygen generators are not likely to catch fire if used/stowed/maintained/transported correctly. The valujet accident that was referred to was caused in part by some of that not being done properly.
The generators used on some types for passenger oxygen mask use are tucked away out of harms way, somewhere they shouldn't get kicked or tampered with, and and will be subject to regular checks. There are also usually a limited number of crew smoke hoods on an aircraft; they have dedicated stowages (often in a rigid box), the condition of which is usually checked by the crew every crew change.
There are however potential problems if you allow an unknown number of these things in the cabin, possibly buried at the bottom of bags, possibly having been subject to packing damage, been dropped by security, been squeezed into tight space etc...then the risks of fire do start to go up.
The authorities have done risk vs. gain analysis and decided there are advantages to having a known small number, controlled use chemical generators on the aircraft, but there are risks to having them being brought on in an uncontrolled manner and in unknown numbers.