What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(.4) The flight was delayed several hours from its originally scheduled departure, because the cargo had not yet been loaded. The first officer and engineer had entered the airplane, and laid down in the bunk beds at the aft end of the upper deck. The captain said he boarded the airplane about 0245, and, `...the cargo loading process was well on its way.' He got busy with determining the fuel load, and other changes in the flight plan. He said, `...suddenly we heard the ground crew call signal...and I was told...the aircraft is on fire...I ordered my crew to evacuate the aircraft.' All the flight crew members exited the airplane out the L1, boarding door. An employee of tower air, standing on the left side of the airplane, near the nose said he noticed `sparks' at the lower right hand side of the fuel truck, that was located under the right wing, near the ladder. He could see flames on the lower side of the truck under the right wing. He immediately beeped the flight deck crew who were in the cockpit, and realized they were probably not aware of the urgency, so he decided to run up the stairs and yelled `fire.' According to the refueler, he had pumped 6,000 gallons of jet `a' into the right wing and was standing on the deck over the pump when he noticed `white to a light gray' smoke coming from the bottom of the truck's cab, and directly under him. He tried to disconnect the upper deck hoses from the airplane, but before he could he saw flames coming from the same area of the truck. He attempted to put out the fire with a handheld extinguisher, without success. Examination of the fuel truck revealed that there was intense fire damage near the truck's transmission. A hole was found in the fuel line from the pump to the hose, directly above the area of the most intense fire damage. The metropolitan dade county fire department, report stated, the fire damage on the truck's engine, `...was possibly due to burning jet fuel from fueling operations at the time of the fire...from under the vehicle in the area between the cab and tank...due to severe damage to the area tank/cab, the source of the fuel leak could not be determined.' (-23) on December 1, 1998, at approximately 0400, a tower air B747-259B aircraft #N621FF, experienced substantial damage to the right wing area between the #3 and #4 engines due to a fuel truck fire. The fire was extinguished and according to witnesses, the fuel truck caught fire while the aircraft was being fueled. The fuel truck, operated by signature flight support, experienced substantial fire damage. There were no injuries and weather was not a factor. The fuel truck is being examined for probable cause, with the results pending.
As the FAA filed it
(.4) THE FLIGHT WAS DELAYED SEVERAL HOURS FROM ITS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED DEPARTURE, BECAUSE THE CARGO HAD NOT YET BEEN LOADED. THE FIRST OFFICER AND ENGINEER HAD ENTERED THE AIRPLANE, AND LAID DOWN IN THE BUNK BEDS AT THE AFT END OF THE UPPER DECK. THE CAPTAIN SAID HE BOARDED THE AIRPLANE ABOUT 0245, AND, `...THE CARGO LOADING PROCESS WAS WELL ON ITS WAY.' HE GOT BUSY WITH DETERMINING THE FUEL LOAD, AND OTHER CHANGES IN THE FLIGHT PLAN. HE SAID, `...SUDDENLY WE HEARD THE GROUND CREW CALL SIGNAL...AND I WAS TOLD...THE AIRCRAFT IS ON FIRE...I ORDERED MY CREW TO EVACUATE THE AIRCRAFT.' ALL THE FLIGHT CREW MEMBERS EXITED THE AIRPLANE OUT THE L1, BOARDING DOOR. AN EMPLOYEE OF TOWER AIR, STANDING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE, NEAR THE NOSE SAID HE NOTICED `SPARKS' AT THE LOWER RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE FUEL TRUCK, THAT WAS LOCATED UNDER THE RIGHT WING, NEAR THE LADDER. HE COULD SEE FLAMES ON THE LOWER SIDE OF THE TRUCK UNDER THE RIGHT WING. HE IMMEDIATELY BEEPED THE FLIGHT DECK CREW WHO WERE IN THE COCKPIT, AND REALIZED THEY WERE PROBABLY NOT AWARE OF THE URGENCY, SO HE DECIDED TO RUN UP THE STAIRS AND YELLED `FIRE.' ACCORDING TO THE REFUELER, HE HAD PUMPED 6,000 GALLONS OF JET `A' INTO THE RIGHT WING AND WAS STANDING ON THE DECK OVER THE PUMP WHEN HE NOTICED `WHITE TO A LIGHT GRAY' SMOKE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUCK'S CAB, AND DIRECTLY UNDER HIM. HE TRIED TO DISCONNECT THE UPPER DECK HOSES FROM THE AIRPLANE, BUT BEFORE HE COULD HE SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE SAME AREA OF THE TRUCK. HE ATTEMPTED TO PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH A HANDHELD EXTINGUISHER, WITHOUT SUCCESS. EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL TRUCK REVEALED THAT THERE WAS INTENSE FIRE DAMAGE NEAR THE TRUCK'S TRANSMISSION. A HOLE WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL LINE FROM THE PUMP TO THE HOSE, DIRECTLY ABOVE THE AREA OF THE MOST INTENSE FIRE DAMAGE. THE METROPOLITAN DADE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT, REPORT STATED, THE FIRE DAMAGE ON THE TRUCK'S ENGINE, `...WAS POSSIBLY DUE TO BURNING JET FUEL FROM FUELING OPERATIONS AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE...FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE IN THE AREA BETWEEN THE CAB AND TANK...DUE TO SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE AREA TANK/CAB, THE SOURCE OF THE FUEL LEAK COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.' (-23) ON DECEMBER 1, 1998, AT APPROXIMATELY 0400, A TOWER AIR B747-259B AIRCRAFT #N621FF, EXPERIENCED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING AREA BETWEEN THE #3 AND #4 ENGINES DUE TO A FUEL TRUCK FIRE. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED AND ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE FUEL TRUCK CAUGHT FIRE WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING FUELED. THE FUEL TRUCK, OPERATED BY SIGNATURE FLIGHT SUPPORT, EXPERIENCED SUBSTANTIAL FIRE DAMAGE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR. THE FUEL TRUCK IS BEING EXAMINED FOR PROBABLE CAUSE, WITH THE RESULTS PENDING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.