Rivet Joint Fire at Offutt caused $62.4 million in damages
 

By Steve Liewer / World-Herald staff writer | Updated 14 hours ago

An improperly tightened nut caused an oxygen leak that led to a fire aboard an RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft at Offutt Air Force Base in April, according to a news release from the Air Force’s Air Combat Command. Investigators estimated the fire caused $62.4 million in damage to the four-engine jet, which carries sensitive communications gear.

The aircraft, from the 55th Wing’s 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron, had just begun its takeoff roll at 6:27 p.m. April 30 when crew members noticed smoke in the rear of the cabin. They alerted the flight crew, and the aircraft slowed to a stop before it left the ground.

Offutt Fire and Rescue crews, assisted by the Bellevue Fire Department, quickly extinguished the fire. All 27 crew members evacuated safely through a crew-entry hatch. Four were treated for smoke inhalation. The airfield was closed for 2½ hours.

An Accident Investigation Board blamed a depot maintenance worker for failing to properly tighten a retaining nut connecting a metal oxygen tube to a junction fitting, the news release said.

As a result, oxygen leaked into the cabin, and the environment ignited. The fire burned a hole several feet across in the roof of the aircraft just in front of the tail.

An Air Combat Command spokesman said the full investigative report will be released Monday.

The aircraft involved in the incident was built in the early 1960s and is based on the civilian Boeing 707 airframe.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1186, [email protected]

(Photo available but I don't know how to post it on this forum.)

Perhaps the whistleblower was correct! More to come.

Here's a picture I found. You can see the burn-thru hole on top of the fuselage, just ahead of the leading edge of the vertical fin – the black blob above the Air Force star.. Looks a real mess close up, burnt wiring bundles and some structural damage. Lucky the crew spotted the fire on the roll; a few minutes later and it might easily have become another ValuJet.


http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1439292853

Haven't found any reference to the use of locking wire on the oxygen system unions in the accident report yet, but still reading ..... Perhaps it isn't used (any more) ???

We picked up a jumbo for a two-sector home run years ago. The ground engineer said "Bit of an oxygen leak, the flight manager says its ok, he brought it out like that. We've topped it right up so you shouldn't need more at your transit station." (NB not permitted to replenish oxygen with pax on board and no desire to off-load and re-board the transit pax with the joiners.)

We said 'Where's it coming from ? Where's it going to ? Bucket of soapy water time ...."

IIRC, this model had two crew bottles and eight large pax bottles in the underfloor hold. Of the pax bottles, one was found to be shut off completely and another had the union nut tightened onto it's own locking wire so it was never going to stop leaking. Took less than ten minutes to find and fix. Never found out (and hate to think) how long it had been like that.

LFH

Not one of the safest oxygen systems on R-J. I guess one of those well-documented high risks on the risk register has become a rather predictable reality.

:oh:

USAF Rivet Joint Fire Investigation Flaw
 

A glaring error contained throughout the AIB report refers the RC-135 oxygen system as a high pressure system. There is no high pressure oxygen system in the RC-135. The RC-135 contains a liquid oxygen system. The normal operating pressure of a multiplace liquid oxygen system is 300 psi. One crewmwmber stated that the oxygen pressure was, "...right around 325-350, likes it's suposed to be. (Ref. Accident Investigation Board Report at TAB R-115) Furthermore, in the RC-135, there is neither a shutoff valve, nor a quick disconnect to isolate the LOX converters from the rest of the oxygen system in the event of an oxygen leak. So, in this accident, three 25 liter LOX converters potentially emptied 64500 liters of gaseous oxygen into the cabin. (One liter of LOX equates to 860 liters of gaseous oxygen.)

T.O. 00-25-223 classifies airborne pressure systems in the following manner:

Low Pressure: 0 to 500 psi
Medium Pressure: 501 to 3,000 psi
High Pressure: 3,000 to 10,000 psi
Ultra High Pressure: Above 10,000psi

Lordflasheart stated: "Haven't found any reference to the use of locking wire on the oxygen system unions in the accident report yet, but still reading ..... Perhaps it isn't used (any more) ???"

Answer: B-nuts used on hose and tube assemblies, including oxygen systems, do not normally contain holes to accomodate locking wire. Perhaps they should.

Looks like the Offutt story was updated today with some rather worrying pictures

Disaster narrowly averted at Offutt with plane fire, but major questions remain - Omaha.com: Military

Cambridge Lecture
 

Just seen it advertised in this months RAeS Mag.
Lecture at Marshalls Cambridge Thursday 17th December start at 18:00.
need to notify attendance.
May see some of you there.
Drag

Any update on performance in RAF colours?

So far the sky doesn't seem to have fallen on our heads as prognosed by some........

Well it had not fallen on one's head here my photos of it doing touch n'go near my neck of the woods, the other week,

cheers

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...psitl4ktgj.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...ps1yhfdlai.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...ps3garoazl.jpg

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...psfv50sctg.jpg

Flash tail markings. So 51 Sqn isn't a secret anymore :)

Someone issued an artists licence. Certainly looks more prominent with the goose wings at 2 o'clock/ 10 o'clock. Does that make me a spotter!

Never was, just the role.:hmm:

Does 51 still have this sign at its entrance:
http://www.clker.com/cliparts/8/2/3/...lks.svg.hi.png


:E

They painted a big Goose on one of their Nimrods as well

The tail art is likely due to 51Sqns 100th this year.

Ah, yes ... just visible in the 2nd photo if you zoom in.

FZ, The sign was last seen in C Flt Crew room at Wyton. As I understand things it is no longer relevant as the average age of the formation eating team is significantly lower these days.


When's the party? Lots of folks getting their Zimmer frames polished up ready.

I've just come across a detailed account of the Offurt fire: USAF RC-135V Rivet Joint Oxygen Fire

http://aerossurance.com/wp-content/u...ge-300x191.jpg

Do the RAF use L3 for maintenance?

Now here is me thinking that oxygen is not flammable, it just supports whatever is burning and makes things burn hotter and faster when there is lots of it. So if I am correct, there must have been an ignition source (root cause) and/or a fire, which rapidly accelerated in the oxygen rich environment. Wonder what that was? I think therefore the oxygen leak was not the cause of the fire but was the accelerant.

Standing by to be corrected.

Squib66,

All Rivet Joint airframe and mission systems modifications are overseen by L-3 Communications (previously Raytheon) under the oversight of USAF Materiel Command.

Conversion of the former KC-135Rs to RC-135W standard for the RAF was of course done there.

RC-135V/W Rivet Joint > U.S. Air Force > Fact Sheet Display

http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/rc135wrivetjoint.cfm

RAFEngO74to09

At least the USAF think L3 are maintenance error proof!
USAF RC-135V Rivet Joint Oxygen Fire

Avtur

I think you are right. Perhaps the fire was so devastating where ever the short came from was probably burnt beyond recognition.