Effectiveness of Ballistically Powered Aircraft Skin Penetrator Nozzel in Extinguishing and Aircraft Cabin Fire with Aqueous Film Forming Foam

Information was obtained by conducting a large-scale fire test which was of value in estimating the fire extinguishing effectiveness of Aqueous-Film-Forming-Foam (AFFF) on a Class A materials fire in a commercial aircraft.

The experiment was performed in the completely instrumented cabin on a DC7 aircraft by discharging AFFF on a fire load comprising a foam rubber bunk mattress, from two simulated points of fuselage penetration made by the U. S. Air Force's ballistically powered skin penetrator nozzle. Fire control and extinguishment of the Class A fire was rapidly achieved at an AFFF solution application rate of O. 11 gal/min-ft2.

This prototype fire extinguishing system was designed to be employed by the airport crash-fire-rescue (CFR) services to extinguish aircraft cabin and compartment fires, from an external source of agent supply.