Originally Posted by
jockey69
vapilot2004: "consider potency of the risks involved in a wheelwell fire..." witness Mexicana,Swissair,Nationair.
Already discussed. An explosion on board has a high likelihood of resulting in an immediate landing(if you are still controllable).
Nationair's first indication of a problem once airborne was a flight attendant report of a lot of smoke in the back. An immediate landing is required(I don't believe they had a wheelwell fire detection system).
In none of these cases used as wheelwell fire examples, was there was a delay in pilot intent to try to get safely back on the ground and in none of these cases was the scenario what has been discussed(wheelwell fire indication that has extinguished after the gear is lowered with no further anomalies noted).
It seems that there is a tendency to create a panic return when a procedure has been done and a warning has ended for the most likely cause.
For those that flew King Air's with engine fire indicators based on detection of light instead of heat, there could be occasional dual engine fire warnings when the sunlight was just at the proper angle entering the cowls. Turn a little bit and the warnings disappear. Or should the panic land immediately idea take over because maybe the sensors on each engine burnt out and therefore landing on that extremely short nearby runway somehow has become the only option.
After all...we are on fire.