A foaming incident occurred after a fire extinguishing system was activated in American Airlines hangar, at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) yesterday.
At the time of the incident, two American Airlines Boeing 787s, registration unknown, were parked at the hangar. It is unclear if any additional aircraft were in the hangar at the same time.
Source says that the automated fire suppression system was activated by accident. In the video below, it is possible to see the huge quantity of fire retardant foam falling on the aircraft. There is no report of any injuries.
A fire suppression system is mandatory in maintenance hangars; it can fill the hanger in minutes and prevents a fire from spreading to any aircraft, also minimising any damage to the building itself.
This incident could be very expensive for American Airlines. Fire retardant foam, like the one in the images, is highly corrosive to an aircraft; this is due to the chemical components that help extinguish the flames. All the parts affected by the foam need to be carefully analysed and then cleaned.
Early this month, a similiar incident occured in British Airways hangar.
Last year, a foaming incident occurred at a Delta Air Lines hangar at Los Angeles.
Article Source and Feature Image: Twitter
Sounds like all of us on here are guessing who was stupid: The designer, the customer, the Fire Department Inspector, the workmen on the floor?
WAS THERE A FIRE? 1st question. 2nd Question. If not why was this emptying onto the airframes.
Does anyone on here REALLY KNOW how this works – or is supposed to work. Like – FOR SURE??? Would love to have some answers from someone in THAT business. Thx.
Maybe we are ALL just stupid…..right now. Someone on the floor of a hangar, plz enlighten us.
The Twitter post says it was Dallas Fort Worth airport. So which is it? Chicago or Dallas?
We made a correction in the article, it is Chicago.
Ya’ll know Aviation Fuel is really bad if it catches on fire, yeah? Requiring special chemicals to put it out properly and prevent a spread? That it burns really hot?
Ya’ll realize almost all fire prevention methods are about smothering flame, yeah?
Think before ya’ll say stupid shit. The system is designed that way for a reason. Plus, we don’t know if it wasn’t intentionally done by that dumbass standing there and recording while a toxic and corrosive agent is being dumped into the hanger.
Speaking of stupid, ya’ll should be calling the dumbass recording it stupid.
Mae, what IS amazing is IF they have to empty in all out to be flushed……which might be the case…..is that they would still just let it dump it all over the airplanes in the hangar. I know there are some stupid people in this world, but to design it – and let it completely empty onto an airframe instead of stopping it and removing the airframes – would take the cake for stupidity……and that WOULD be just amazing……
Is the foam corrosive on metals? I wonder what it will do to the 787s since they are made of carbon fiber composites.
And there is no way to shut it off????????
When the human beings on station can tell there is no fire, you’d think there would be an EMERGENCY STOP, just like I suspect there is an EMERGENCY START by humans IF it fails to come on when it should……
Amazing – just amazing…..
Once it is activated, the entire system needs to be flushed out and replaced anyways…… Amazing – just amazing…..