THIS RPTR ALLEGES THAT A TYPE OF WIRING INSULATION COMMONLY USED ON ACFT MAY BE A FACTOR IN CAUSING THE FIRES IN PREVIOUS ACFT ACCIDENTS AND MAY BE A FACTOR ON A RECENT DC9 CRASH IN FLORIDA.

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SEE ATTACHED NEWSPAPER ARTICLES. WHILE NEWSPAPERS NOTORIOUSLY GARBLE FACTS; I HAVE ENOUGH PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THIS SIT TO KNOW THE FACTS ARE ACCURATE. THIS MAY RELATE TO THE RECENT INCIDENT IN FLORIDA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR ALLEGES THAT THIS INSULATION MATERIAL IS PRONE TO EXPLOSIVE FAILURE OR VIOLENT BURNING WHEN STRESSED WHILE ELECTRICAL CURRENT IS APPLIED. THE RPTR SAID THAT THE ARTICLES IN HIS GRAPHICAL ATTACHMENTS ARE PART OF A SERIES OF 7 DONE BY THE 'FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM' AND HE SAID THAT THE ARTICLES ARE ACCURATE. THE RPTR ALSO SAID THAT THE 'AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TESTING MATERIALS' OF PHL; PA; HAS CONDUCTED TESTS OF THE WIRING INSULATION MATERIAL. THESE TESTS WERE; APPARENTLY; DONE BY A GROUP KNOWN AS THE DC9-16 COMMITTEE TO A STANDARD KNOWN AS D30-32 (HIGH TEMP HOOK-UP WIRE). THE RPTR SAID THAT HE WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE TESTING AND THE STANDARD AND THAT THE MATERIAL IN QUESTION BECAME VERY CONDUCTIVE UNDER HIGH TEMP. THE RPTR ALSO ALLEGED THAT THE LEAR JET CRASH IN FAT; CA; SEVERAL YRS AGO WAS CAUSED BY IMPROPER USE OF THE SAME MATERIAL THAT HE IS BRINGING INTO QUESTION. THE RPTR IS RELUCTANT TO STEP FORWARD AT THIS TIME; HE SAID; BECAUSE OF THE EXPENSE AND TROUBLE THAT HE MAY INCUR.