It is not known whether the fire originated within the baggage compartment or the lavatory but it is apparent that the greatest concentration of fire existed near the partition adjoining these two compartments and that it spread forward into the buffet section and coat rock as well as rearward into the tail cone after having reached fairly intense proportions. In view of the inaccessibility of the baggage compartment, it is probable that a fire in that area would have reached such intensity as to have made subsequent efforts at extinguishment futile. It is of prime importance that fire in aircraft be detected immediately upon ignition or, in the case of on incipient fire, before a blaze is started. In investigating the development of automatic fire detecting equipment, it was noted that there are available smoke detectors which provide an extremely effective device for the detection of smouldering fires before their become of intense proportions. However, inasmuch as little testing has been accomplished with smoke detectors in flight, the applicability of present designs to the DC-3 has not been known until recently and they are therefore not in general use with-in DC-3. aircraft.
Had the fire been detected in the baggage compartment the problem of extinguishment would have been further complicated by fact that access to the baggage compartment was possible only through in opening which is approximately four and a half feet from the floor the average dimensions of which are 21 inches by 16 inches. It is obvious that the angles from which the fire extinguishing agent may be directed against a fire are extremely limited and that some difficulty may be experienced in directing the agent against the burning substances particularly in a compartment in which several bulky parcels are stored. As an added precaution against the recurrence of such a situation, it is apparent that larger opening should be provided into the baggage compartment to permit the entry of a crew member when necessary. Some DC-3 aircraft are currently in operation which posses
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