AR 15-6 R-1-vt of invest 19ation, Fire Explosit)ij ac

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    . I .-         -dL- - _. -.
    
    5 U.S.C. 552 (b)(6)
    
    ran for about seven minutes, perhaps longer, on one of the
    occasions. He and               who was in the v;ahicle, heard th
    clicking of the fue pump. n 10 July 1991                   turned
    the heater while doinq a PMCS, letting it run Ive o six
    minutes. Although                         says the heater worked,
    the original driver, said that the heater had not wor e       rom
    day of issue. Either way, the heater had a problem:      complete
    malfunction or intermittent operation.
    
                     (3)     The problem of inadvertently turning on the hea
    switch is recognized and, according to the Project Manager's
    office, an Engineering Change Proposal /Mod if icat ion Work Order
    being processed. The Tank and Automotive Command sent a messa
    261700 Jun 90 (see Annex J), indicating that a hardware kit to
    pr~_mvent inadvertent activation of the heater would be availabl
    by' 15 January 1991.
    
              (4) Soldiers not involved in the accident.. indicated
    that, since arrival in Kuwait, the heater blower woiald come on
    unexpectedly without the heater switch being on. Technical
    experts describe the blower motor as being wired directly to t
    battery, allowing it to come on if heat in the combustion chav
    (ambient temperature) rises high enough because of the extreme
    hot desert
    ,environment.
    
                     (5)     When the heater switch is turned on, fue7l will
    flow to the heater. if the heater does not ignite, fuel will
    continue to flow, eventually running out of the heater. Na
    mechanism exists to grevent this overflow. Experience shows t
    Lhe heater will not ignite with more than about six ounces of
    fuel inside. The total capacl:iY of the heater is one to two
    gallons of fuel before it overflows. The overflow will run dc
    through a flexible hose to a metal duct under the left ammunit
    rack p"-r a maintenance sergeant in another unit who has twice
    seen such an overflow.
    
               (6)  The fuel in the vehicle at      time of the
    accident was a mixture of Jet Propellant Fuel 48, fron th-.
    initla-l fill-up at the time of issue and, nore recently, Dies4
    Fuel 12.
    
               (7)  Thi crew had jU$t finished c:leaning the vehicl-
                                                         -)se natevia
    and was rertain Ihat no rags, debris, powder or lot
    was ne-*tr the heater,  They also indicated no water was sprave,
    ,-:r near the he-earor.
    
               (8)  The heater has caused problems in the past. A
     I is a h1innary of prf~vious M992 fireS ASSIICIated with the h0a
                                                  e  .1 i      h,;
    
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