Dec 1 1984
From The Space Library
A four-engine Boeing jetliner in a radio-controlled test of an air-craft fuel mixture called "antimisting kerosene" crashed on Rogers Dry Lake, California. A huge fireball engulfed three-fourths of the plane immediately after it crashed. The fireball lasted about six seconds and was followed by an outpouring of black smoke that often accompanies landing crashes. Flames from what officials called a "secondary fire" were visible through the smoke. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NASA sponsored the $11.8 million crash primarily to test the new fuel mixture, which was designed to prevent an explosive burst of flames in case of an accident. Safety specialists emphasized that it would take a long time to reconstruct precisely the sequence of events that left the Boeing 720 a much more devastated wreck than had been expected. An initial examination of the plane showed that the interior had been totally gutted by the fire that the crash produced. Despite the out-come, government and industry officials appeared willing to continue efforts to produce a practical way to minimize the fire risk from fuel spilled in accidents. (W Post, Dec 2/84, A-1; NY Times, Dec 3/84, A-21; Time, Dec 10/84, 32; W Times, Dec 3/84, 3A)
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