The need to land ASAP is the reason. You may only have about 15 minutes to live unless you get it on the ground if the fire is real. If you are very close to the airport you want to land at when the fire warning occurs, you'd have to use your airmanship to determine the fastest way to get the airplane on the ground by manipulating the speed and configuration of the machine. If you're directly above the airport you wish to land at, it might be prudent to spiral down with gear extended and speedbrakes up. I don't know how much I would respect the gear extension limitations in a fire situation, especially if smoke/fumes were becoming visible, but it is preferable not to damage the airplane anymore than necessary. I think you will get a higher rate of descent with gear down at 320/.82 than gear up at Vmo/Mmo (365/.90). Study UPS6, UPS1307, Swissair 111, Asiana 991, Saudia 163.
Last edited by RandomPerson8008; 18th May 2021 at 14:05.