Previously engine fires were handled inconsistently for different planes. Single engine fighter's burning engine fire was likely to explode the whole plane before pilot could bail out. For multi-engine planes engine fire did nothing. Some planes only had extra fuel tank damage so that engine fire could spread to fuel tank fire. But many planes were previously completely immune to engine fire, like P-38 for example. Now engine fire will not make single engine planes explode. Instead engine fires will seize the engine after some time. Player can try to shut down the engine in order to cut fuel flow and extinguish the fire, but the engine might not restart anymore. So dive & high speed is safer way to put out engine fire. Stressing the engine lot when it is on fire is more likely to cause it to fail with a bang and it can even fall off from the mounts. This is probably what happened to Bearcat.
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