Research into the Causes of Fire – Searching for New Insights or Confirming Old Prejudices?

The present paper addresses the course of the fire in the Duesseldorf airport disaster with reference to the report by the expert commission. A detailed analysis of the report reveals that there is reason to doubt the conclusions reached concerning ignition risk and the initial phase of the fire. In addition, there are in part considerable inconsistencies between material-specific and test-based knowledge on the one hand, and the conclusions and recommendations arrived at on the other. The role of the insulation in the suspended ceiling (inter-level) area, classified as non-combustible, was incorrectly assessed in practically every respect. The present paper provides a risk-focused identification of the potential origin of the fire and highlights the relevance of purely material-specific data.