Plane Explosions Spark Safety Concerns
JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to an international story with consequences for many folks, even in this country: the plane which exploded in Bangkok, right before the Thai leader was about to go on board. Investigators looked into what seemed to be a likely possibility at the time, that would be an assassination attempt. But what they found could have implications for airline passengers all around the world. On this story, CNN's Deborah Feyerick.</s>DEOBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When a Boeing 737 exploded at Bangkok International Airport last month, Thai officials first thought it might be an assassination attempt. Thailand's newly-elected prime minister was waiting to board the plane, along with his son and other passengers. Now investigators believe the cause was not a bomb, not sabotage, but an explosion in the center fuel tank. The same kind of explosion that plunged TWA flight 800 into the waters off Long Island in 1996, killing everyone onboard.</s>MICHAEL GOLDFARB, FMR. FAA CHIEF OF STAFF: The similarities are that it was a hot day in New York, it was a hot day on this crash. The air conditioning system was running in New York, the air conditioning system was running in this crash, on the ground.</s>FEYERICK: NTSB investigators tell CNN air-conditioning units in both flights heated up under the near-empty center fuel tank. In the case of TWA 800, a Boeing 747, vapors inside the tank became lethal when ignited by an unknown spark.</s>GOLDFARB: There's been only three cases in aviation history where a fuel tank has exploded. It's exceedingly rare for this problem to occur.</s>FEYERICK: A Boeing spokesman says it's too early to speculate on the Thai Airways explosion, adding, more testing must be done. (on camera): Last year, Boeing advised airlines worldwide to use outside air-conditioning units rather than internal systems to cool planes waiting for long periods of times at the gates or on the runways. And the advisory wasn't just for hot days, but anytime the temperature climbs above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. (voice-over): The Federal Aviation Administration did not make the recommendation mandatory, but it did notify FAA inspectors of the Boeing advisory. The agency has been looking at ways to make fuel tank fumes inert, so they don't ignite under any circumstance. Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.</s>CHEN: More on this story now. We're joined from Seattle by Kevin Darcy. He's a crash investigation consultant with Safety Services International. We appreciate your being with us. Not only the TWA flight and the Thai Airways would-be flight, I guess, it never got off of the ground. And you say that there's a parallel to a third accident. Can you talk a little bit about the parallels here?</s>KEVIN DARCY, CRASH INVESTIGATION EXPERT: Yeah, sure. The third accident was -- actually the first one to have occurred, back in 1990, is under very similar circumstances. An airplane, 737, that was on the ground with a virtually empty center fuel tank. And it exploded, and the reason for that explosion, the ignition source for that is -- was never determined.</s>CHEN: So has there been advice from, say, Boeing and the FAA to, I guess, fill up the fuel tank? Or what else could you do?</s>DARCY: Well, there was a number of things that were looked at to try to decrease the likelihood that the -- the vapors in the fuel tank would be explosive. And unfortunately, no single one really will fix the problem. And so they weren't able to come up with a specific recommendation that would take care of the situation.</s>CHEN: So, beyond Boeing saying: "Use different air conditioning units when you're on the ground," nobody said fill up the fuel tank? I mean, I guess that's the problem, if it's a nearly empty tank, that's a bigger problem than if the thing is full. Which sort of runs contradictory in the mind of a layman like me. I mean, I would think more fuel would be a bigger problem for an explosion.</s>DARCY: Well, you have the situation exactly right. It is counter to one's intuition. The problem is most critical when there is very little fuel, virtually, just residual fuel in the tank. It heats up and is able to produce enough vapors that you have an explosive -- potentially explosive environment.</s>CHEN: You're said that they haven't been able to prove anything conclusively, so that they could firmly tell people: "OK, do this with your aircraft." But doesn't it seem like the FAA ought to do something, or make some sort of advisory?</s>DARCY: Well, I think we're getting to that point now, that -- that the FAA is going to have to take some more drastic measures. In the past, we've always tried to control the problem by eliminating ignition sources. And I think now the next step will have to be taken, and that is to do something about decreasing the flammability of the fuel, or the possibility that it would be in an explosive mixture. And there is various things that have been proposed to do that. All those will take a lot more work, but I believe the time is right that we start taking a real hard look at doing those things.</s>CHEN: Kevin Darcy, Safety Services International, we thank you for being with us today.</s>DARCY: Thank you, Joie. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com