Damage Model issue?

[gimpy117]

Originally Posted by CaptainDoggles

It's a bug. The fuel tank "explodes" but doesn't damage the aircraft.

i think that in itself is a bug. fuel tank explosions are EXTREMELY rare. Because certain conditions must exist for explosive combustion inside a tank. Generally With a tank full, It will not happen. Sure, It will Burn like heck but it won't go boom, because fuel in itself does not explode, but the VAPOR does. Hence why if there is little to no vapor it will not burn. Gasoline, for example in it's purely liquid state does not burn, however the Fumes evaporating do, and burn very well they do. But burning does not equal an explosion. Even when an incendiary bullet or heat source enters the tank, there is a very small and fleeting window (trust me NASA didn't even know for sure when they researched if for the TWA flight 800 explosion) where the tank has the proper vapor pressure, volume, heat and fuel to air mixture to detonate.

As far as I can tell for their reports this combination of events must happen:
-Tank must be nearly empty
-Tank must be heated
-Tank must have proper Fuel/Air Ratio
-Tank must have the proper pressure
-Tank must be exposed to a properly powerful ignition source

All these add up to a pretty specific and rare event.