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Which aircraft type is least likely to catch fire?

Legend has it that all-metal types, and “plastic” types with metal tanks (e.g. Diamond) are the best.

Are there any “plastic” types with wet tanks, so if the composite breaks the fuel spills out?

Then there are the homebuilt kits / ultralights with unprotected clear plastic fuel pipework.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

A glider ?

@172driver you will be surprised, I saw a “pure fibre glass glider” burning on tarmac guess what? excessive breaking after landing…

Last Edited by Ibra at 06 Aug 19:18
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

Are there any “plastic” types with wet tanks, so if the composite breaks the fuel spills out?

Cirrus have wet tanks, which is why they can catch fire when the landing goes awry…..it’s the only thing I dislike about them….

Last Edited by Steve6443 at 06 Aug 20:55
EDL*, Germany

Steve6443 wrote:

Cirrus have wet tanks

What is a wet and what a dry tank ?

LGMG Megara, Greece

Heavy fuel is significantly less likely to catch fire than avgas.

Light aircraft burning Jet-A – fuel that’s more difficult to ignite in an aircraft with a low touchdown speed (in other words, in a controlled crash, less likely to rupture the tanks in the first place).

Andreas IOM

Two funny examples (not GA) comes to my mind:
- A Canadair CL-215 fully loaded (water not fuel)
- A Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird that leaks fuel

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Ibra wrote:

- A Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird that leaks fuel

For extra fun, an SR-71 that leaks both fuel and triethylborane.

Sweden

Can’t test it unfortunately, SR71s I have seen in museums smells more like old book archives than aviation diesel…
Re-usable boosters in Elson Musk Rockets have some of that magic mix, except the first two batches they seem more safe now

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom
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