G-ARVH If there was a Wheel Fire in the main Wheel Well they would get a EICAS Fire Wheel Well Warning and they would have followed the QRH procedure and then declared a Pan or Mayday as required. This would certainly NOT include climbing to FL450 to put out the Fire!!!
( the QRH from memory says to slow below MLO .82/270kias and extend the gear, if the warning continues LAND ASAP. )
Nitpicker 330 ref your post ~5554 above, why are you dismissing a wheel well fire with such ease. The T7 was heavy and with high relative humidity at KL that night the take-off run would have been long. A deflated tyre may have been detected and if a fire developed in the wheel well EIDAS would have reported that as you correctly point out, however let’s assume they were working through the QRH when events overtook the crew. Any fire especially an electrical fire would be extremely serious and they may have pulled all the main busses while working through the QRH and were restoring electrical circuits in an attempt to identify the bad circuit. Such an action would of course disable the comms including the transponder; however the priority must be to identify and isolate the fire. Even in the worst case the vital bus however would still be good containing the radio including 121.5
A sequence of events took place that resulted in the crew making a standard left turn after the coms bus was disabled. This action is consistent isn’t it of the crew looking to regain the reciprocal track or at the very least turning off airway. At the same time they would be working through the QRH while trying to get below MLO when events overtook them.
The SAA 747 that was lost over the Indian Ocean was due to a fire in the combi cargo compartment. They eventually recovered the FDR and CVR in 16,000 feet of water. It’s good to see the Aussies taking a bigger lead in this investigation along with the Kiwis. They have the resources experience and knowledge of both the Southern and Indian Ocean, and I’m quietly confident they will locate the hull and recover the FDR in the fullness of time. When that happens (and it will happen) we will finally find out how hard the crew worked to save the aircraft and its passengers. When it happens those of you who have been publishing grossly irresponsible comments suggesting the crew committed suicide, or these ludicrous suggestions the aircraft is parked up on some secret 10,000 ft runway that the rest of us conveniently have never heard of, will end up with substantial egg on face.
And how do you explain everything after that?
And what was the fire doing during the climb?
And why would anyone go up when LAND ASAP for SMOKE?
It doesn't hold water.