Can an empty aviation fuel tank blow up

Question

At the end of the James Bond movie View to a kill, the aeroplane runs out of fuel - both the propellers stop and the plane glides. There are holes at the bottom of the tank so all the fuel has drained out. The plane then glides into the mountain and blows up in a typical movie spectacular fireball.

Aeroplane fuel is typically kerosene. Kerosene is one of those liquids that needs a fine spray for it to be combustible. If I drop a lighted match in liquid kerosene, the match will go out.

As a kid, I've dropped a match in an empty kerosene can and nothing happened. I know now that it was a silly thing to do but I was a 10 year old who didn't know any better. If it was petrol, it might have blown up in my face.

If it was a pressurised system, then the pressure would be neutral because of the holes in the tank. If the tank is empty, would kerosene exist in vapour form within the tank?

Is it still possible for the plane to blow up or would it just crash and fall to the bottom of the hill?

Answer 1

• It is fiction .
• What kind of engine ;jet kerosene is not very flammable. Piston engine avgas is very highly flammable.
• It is the air fuel MIX that is explosive. But if it is too rich or too lean the vapor it is not flammable.
• When a tanker unloads, they take significant precautions as the space transitions from too rich, through the explosive range ,to too lean.

Answer 2

Yes, any flammable vapor or even fine powder can be ignited, flour is one surprising example.

I suggest you don’t experiment - a friend lost the end of his thumb trying...

Answer 3

Short answer ; "empty" ones are the only ones that can explode.

Answer 4

Aviation fuel vapors are potentially explosive. Which is why modern planes mitigate this danger with vents and pumps to siphon the fuel's residual vapors.

Aviation Jet grade fuel is kerosene, mixed with tad of anti-fungicide and other additives to to keep it from rotting/degrading. If/When it does it can induce chemical fatigue on Tank's interior and possible unstable fuel/air mixture could spark and trigger an explosion. This was accessory cause of TWA 800 flight accident.

Answer 5

There's a hanger at Robins AFB with a spot on the roof about 80 feet up where all the corrugations got flattened out. That's where a mechanic bounced off the roof when a jet fuel trailer went woomph. The mechanic's Zippo dropped out his pocket when he leaned in through the inspection hatch. The fellow lived.