- Date
- April 17, 2003, 09:17 local (15:17 UTC)
- Place
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Injuries
- 123 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6712BBoeing 757-232
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20030417004369I
- Case key
- 56842
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
total failure of a fuel flex line. A contributing factor was a fuel leak, resulting in an inflight engine compartment fire.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
As the airplane leveled off at 10,000 feet, the left engine fire warning light illuminated. An emergency was declared. When the left engine was shut down, the fire warning light remained illuminated and a fire bottle was discharged. The warning light remained illuminated. A second fire bottle was discharged and the warning light still remained illuminated. When the airplane was on final approach, the warning light extinguished. No visible fire was seen from the cabin or from the control tower. After an uneventful landing, the fire department met the airplane and determined there was some "residual smoke" but that the fire was extinguished. The airplane taxied to the gate and the passengers deplaned via the jetway. Engine examination revealed a flex line routed near the thrust reverser had failed. There was a fuel leak and a hole had burned through the shroud surrounding the hot section.
Factual narrative
On April 17, 2003, at 0917 mountain daylight time, a Boeing 757-232, N6712B, registered to and operated by Delta Air Lines, Inc., sustained minor damage when the left engine caught fire shortly after takeoff from Salt Lake City, Utah, International Airport. There were no injuries to the captain, first officer, four flight attendants, or 117 passengers. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed for the scheduled domestic passenger flight operating as flight 1901under Title 14 CFR Part 121. The flight originated from Salt Lake City at 0906, and was en route to Atlanta, Georgia.
According to Delta Air Lines officials, the first officer was flying the airplane. As the airplane leveled off at 10,000 feet, the left engine fire warning light illuminated. An emergency was declared and the flight was cleared onto a downwind heading and a descent to 8,000 feet. When the left engine was shut down, the fire warning light remained illuminated and the captain discharged a fire bottle. The warning light remained illuminated. The captain then discharged a second fire bottle. The warning light still remained illuminated. When the airplane was on final approach, the warning light went out. No visible fire was seen from the cabin or from the control tower. After an uneventful landing, the fire department met the airplane and determined there was some "residual smoke" but that the fire was extinguished. The airplane taxied to the gate and the passengers deplaned via the jetway.
Engine examination revealed a flex line routed near the thrust reverser had failed. There was a fuel leak and a hole had burned through the shroud surrounding the hot section.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6712B
- Reported as
- Boeing 757-232
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30484
- Airframe hours
- 8,252
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney 2037, 37,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Delta Air Lines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 14, 2003
- Departed
- SLC · Salt Lake City, UT
- Destination
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SLC · Salt Lake City International, runway 16R, 12,000 × 150 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 21,500 total · 4,552 in this make and model · 199 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2002
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 2,551 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- SLC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.