gizzard Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Don't ask me where these came form, but they just popped into my head today. #1. anybody remember hearin' of a Herk, I think maybe a "B", but ain't certain, somewhere in SEA, Philippines perhaps, that had a fuel tank explosion caused, later investigation stated, by some bacteria or whatever gettin' I the tank? #2. I recall hearing about a piece of skin, possibly off a wing, that someone drew a circle in lead pencil on and corrosion caused it to disintegrate and fall out. Now I know I was juiced up yesterday with Fenegrin for an EGD, but I surely didn't dream this did I" load clear ( I think) Giz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plaprad Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I know they've had problems with bacteria in tanks causing contamination, but never heard of it causing an explosion. I could see it happening though, alot of hay-bales go up every year because of heat off bacteria growing in it. As for #2, not sure about skin, but you can do that to a tailpipe. I saw one when I first came in where someone wrote the engine number on one with a pencil and the heat cut right through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizzard Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 You are right about the hay, Plaprad. Have been to a couple major fires in barns brought on because of that.........I just can't recall exactly what it was about the fuel tank explosion. Maybe somebody can drag it back up Giz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Railrunner130 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I worked for a maintance facility a long time ago. When they told me about this, I thought they were sending me on a wild goose chase, like ordering a gallon of prop wash. Come to find out, bacteria really does live in fuel. There is a product called Biobore or something like that which is supposed to kill off that bacteria. So, that part is true. I'd tend to believe a Herk would be brought down by lightning long before bacteria would get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizzard Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 This one, if I recall right, was supposedly on the ground, but I can't rememebr where I heard it, after all47-41 years ago is a long time Giz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinwhistle Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Not that this has anything to do with a Herk blowing up, but some years back when I was a "big rigger", all the drivers in the company were required to carry along several extra fuel filters 'cause a bacteria was in the fuel tank at the terminal and the bacteria plugged the fuel filters. Company ended up replacing the storage tank. Don't think anything exploded. But it is interesting that something can grow in a petroluem product. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donwon Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 A tank popped out 2 rows of rivits at Naha due to the vents inside the tank being plugged. This was in 66. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre623 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Hey Giz, yes we did have bacteria in the fuel tanks in the P.I. at Clark sometime during 69-70. The fix was to fuel up the affected tank or tanks with 115-145 avgas. We let it stay in the tanks x number of days or hours...I ferget... and then we defueled that tank and refueled with JP-4. After a few weeks they stopped making us defuel the avgas before flight and we just flew and burned it out. Funny thing was the inside of the tailpipe was white as cotton after flight. We never popped any tanks from it though. They did that when they left the vent lines plugged after tank maint. and refueled the bird, usually at depot PDM (aka IRAN). The pencil thing is a no no on the hot section of a turbine engine. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizzard Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Well, it sounds like I am not completely mad. I must have gotten third or fourth generation versions of these things, because they all seem to have the same basic undertone. Giz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 (edited) Giz, On an Island far far away, I was assigned to a thing that that was called a MASS (Militart Airlift Support Squadron). Our job was to take care of the Big MAC aircraft on their way to the war and back. Any way you know enlisted men they have long memories when it come to flight crews messing with them. So this was back when MAC was still flying C-124's (One million rivets in close formation.) any way when it happened that one of the afore mentioned enlisted men got mad at a C-124 crew often a black lead pencil was used to get back at the air crew. What they would do is take said pencil and make a heavy circle on one of the exhaust stacks on a engine or 2. After a while in flight the part of the exhaust stack in side of the circle would fall out, when this happened it changed the sound of the engines an drive the crew nuts for the rest of the flight. This was always done on a stack that would exhaust away from the necelle but towards the acraft. Edited August 3, 2011 by Dutch Screwed up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizzard Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 it's totally incredible that a common pencil could do such damage. Was it a #2????LOL!!!!!!!!!! Why did the bad guys shoot guns and rockets when a couple dozen Ticondorogas would do the trick??? Any guesss as to why the exhaust pipes where so susceptible??? Giz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEFEGeorge Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Same thing happens if you put a mark on a car engines exhaust manifold. Must have something to do with the heat and the lead from the pencil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 There is some good info on fuel tank corrosion and contamination in this issue of the Lockheed Service News. --Casey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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