# Incident 20080708849009I: Boeing 737524, Cleveland, OH, July 8, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 8, 2008, 15:15 local time
- Place: Cleveland, OH
- Airport: Cleveland-Hopkins International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Other Ground Ops
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: CALA
- Location: 41.4094° N, 81.8547° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CLEVELAND-HOPKINS INTL (CLE), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4094&lon=-81.8547&mi=10
- Aircraft: N16607, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N16607-2008-12-22) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Boeing 737-524 (registry code 1384721, https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-524) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: CFM International CFM56 series (registry code 13802, https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 737524
- People aboard: 117
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080708849009I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) FLIGHT CREW CALLED FOR MAINTENANCE TO CHECK APU FOR FAILURE TO START.  MECH ATTEMPTED TO START APU, IT DID NOT IGNITE.  ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT THE APU STARTED BUT AFTER 10 SECONDS THE POWER DROPPED OFF LINE AND THE MECHANICS SHUT DOWN THE APU.  THE MECHANICS LEFT THE FLIGHT DECK AND REPORTED THAT SOME SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE APU TAILPIPE.  AT THIS TIME THE MECHANICS ATTEMPTED TO MOTOR THE APU TO CLEAR FUEL FROM THE TAILPIPE.  APU EGT ROSE TO JUST BELOW RED RED LINE.  MECHANICS DISCONTINUED MOTORING AND LEFT THE FLIGHT DECK AS THE APU EGT PEGGED TO TOP OF SCALE.  THE CAPTAIN LEFT FLIGHT DECK TO VIEW THE APU TAILPIPE AREA AND SAW THICK BLACK SMOKE BILLOWING FROM THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT.  AT THIS TIME THE CAPTAIN MADE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE PASSENGERS TO DEPLANE BACK INTO THE TERMINAL.  THEN THE CAPTAIN HEARD THE APU FIRE BELL ACTIVATE.  THE CAPTAIN SILENCED THE BELL AND PULLED THE APU FIRE HANDLE AND TURNED THE HANDLE TO THE LEFT AND TO THE RIGHT WITHOUT EITHER SQUIB LIGHT ILLUMINATING.  IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THAT THE MECHANICS HEARD THE APU FIRE HORN IN THE WHEEL WELL AND PULLED THE WHEEL WELL FIRE HANDLE WHICH CANCELLED OUT THE FLIGHT DECK FIRE HANDLE.  CLEVELAND FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED ON SCENE AND SPRAYED DOWN.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.