Fire and evacuation simulation of the fatal 1985 Manchester airport B737 fire

Wang, Zhaozhi, Jia, Fuchen and Galea, Edwin (2012) Fire and evacuation simulation of the fatal 1985 Manchester airport B737 fire. In: 5th International Symposium. Human Behaviour in Fire 2012. Symposium Proceedings. Interscience Communications Ltd, Greenwich, London, UK, pp. 159-170. ISBN 978-0-9556548-8-6

Abstract

In this paper, fire and evacuation computer simulations are conducted to determine the impact of exit opening times on the evacuation and survivability during the Manchester Airport B737 fire of 1985. The fire and evacuation simulation tools, SMARTFIRE and airEXODUS are used in the analysis. The work is in two parts, the first part attempts to reconstruct the actual fire incident and ensuing evacuation using the known facts derived from the official investigation report. The second part investigates the impact of exit opening times on the aircraft fire development and subsequent evacuation. The results suggest that the number of fatalities could have been reduced by 92% had the delays in opening two of the three exits been avoided. Furthermore, it is suggested that opening of the unused aft right exit during the accident did not contribute to the high loss of life in this accident. Indeed, it is suggested that the opening of this exit improved survivability within the cabin and reduced the death toll by some 17%.

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