It seems everyone is going into the manuals and wer'e losing sight of the origins of this thread
This was a unique, catastrophic and tragic accident that happened to an aircraft that was properly prepared, declared and accepted as serviceable for that sortie - as was XV239, XV256, XV257, XV666, the Chinook, the Hercules, the Comets, Yoke Peter, Yoke Uncle, Yoke Yoke - and all the Lightnings, Chipmunks, JP's, Hunters, Canberras, Harriers, Hastings, Tornados, and all other ac that suffered loss of systems or were exposed to unforseen risk when airborne
So, as Captain, I stand up at briefing and say
"Ok crew, today wer'e doing a 6 hr Ops/Ct which involves a 30min AAR slot for the pilots, but there is a big risk of a fire in the Bomb Bay after refuel, and we might not get back, so I am not taking this ac and cancelling the sortie"
History will agree with me - "You brief for the best and you plan for the worst"
You cannot prepare for an emergency in a moment - your reactions to an emergency are a result of procedures which you have practised over a period of time - that is why we have IA's supported by check lists and the efforts of the crew!
TD
I have flown many AAR sorties, some not planned - SAR - where my only concern was to establish contact with the tanker when a long way from home
I never had any worries other than to get more gas and I have trusted the plumbing system, pre-and post Falklands fit, and I am here to prove it
This still does not answer the questions - so I suggest we all wait for the BOI report