Non-Subscriber Extract
UK RAF Nimrod inquiry says leaking fuel was likely cause
By Gareth Jennings
05 December 2007
A UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Board of Inquiry (BoI) into the loss of a Royal Air Force (RAF) Nimrod MR.2 maritime patrol aircraft over Afghanistan in September 2006 has found that it was "probably" caused when leaking fuel ignited against a hot pipe in a flight-systems bay on the starboard side of the BAE Systems-manufactured aircraft.
The results of the BoI's investigations into the mid-air explosion of XV230 were released on 4 December; the BoI concluded that it "was unable to discount the age of the seals as a possible cause of the increase in leaks from fuel couplings" and onto hot pipes that were not properly insulated.
According to the BoI, fuel had probably escaped into the Number 7 tank dry bay in the Rib 1 area (the area between the bomb-bay and Engine 3 where the fuselage blends into the wing) of aircraft XV230 following air-to-air refuelling.
Image: Nimrod MR.2 XV230, which crashed in Afghanistan on 2 September 2006 (RAF)