Tarver Engineering wrote:

"Pooh Bear" wrote in message
...

snip
One of the most interesting subtle issues was the surely well intentioned
use of
silver plated crimp connectors in the FQIS. Turns out that after a few
decades,
the sulphur in the fuel has combined sufficiently with the silver on the
connector to form a semi-conductive silver sulphide film on terminal
blocks,
capable of providing an ignition source if sufficient voltage is applied.

That ignition source relies on the 140 Ampres of three phase under the
flight deck floor of TWA-800. (ie upper deck alley) The best that can be
said for TWA-800 is that the market punished the perpitrators perfectly.

Actually, the Smiths Industries ? report on an ex Tower Air cwt terminal block
indicated visible flame with 9V applied from a 'transistor radio battery' IIRC.



Graham