Originally Posted by
lomapaseo
This is of course secondary to the cause of the accident but fits in with stuff like cabin safety, breakup locations etc. (all not easily managed due to variables)
From my view the RH engine probably caught fire from scrapping all it exterior component (fuel-oil sources) in an environment of sparks including any breaks in the engine casing. Unfortunately this fire which was visible early on was nestled against the RH fuselage where there appears to be a buckle fracture in the tube. This could now expose the interior to an ignition source. No need then to wait for the aluminum skin to be burnt through in a pool fire.
Once the interior starts to burn it looks for sources of air above the flame and makes it way to the ceiling panels inside the cabin. Smoke is your problem here, but even now it can remain localized until somebody opens a door. Then it rapidly migrates towards fresh air. That's probably the most significant part of this as to when and how the flame front spread.
Will see what the NTSB fire experts say in their final report about the timing of the fire spread vs egress of the passengers
Originally Posted by
cameo
So, if they did not run out of fuel, how come it was not the wings (where the fuel is) that got burned, but the top of the fuselage? What is so flammable up there that could melt the aluminum skin? I am not a pilot, so forgive me if this is a stupid question.
These photos tend to support your view of how the fire spread.
Upper fuselage still intact
