# NTSB ENG10IA038: Boeing 767, N196DN, Athens, Greece, June 16, 2010 - Type: NTSB incident investigation - Classification: Incident · No injuries · Incident investigation · Final report - Date: June 16, 2010, 13:30 local (13:30 UTC) - Place: Athens, Greece - Location: 37.9364° N, 23.9445° E: Placed by OpenAirDocs at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (LGAV), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.9364&lon=23.9445&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Prior to flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/100) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Prior to flight: Fire/smoke (non-impact)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 5, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Aviation Engineering Division - NTSB case key (mKey): 76340 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ENG10IA038 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/76340/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ENG10IA038 ## Probable cause A short circuit involving the light in position L3 on the squib test panel. The specific cause of the short circuit could not be determined. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fire protection system: fire prot sys wiring](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022697): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Malfunction (probable cause); cases with it: [Boeing 767-332, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022697/cases.md?model=1385101), [All aircraft, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022697/cases.md) - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Boeing 767-332, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=1385101), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Prior to flight: Fire/smoke (non-impact)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150) (defining event); cases with it: [Boeing 767-332, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150/sequence.md?model=1385101), [All aircraft, 504 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150/sequence.md) ## Analysis On June 16, 2010, at 1330 UTC, a Delta Air Lines B767-332ER experienced a cockpit fire during preflight preparations at Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (LGAV). The fire occurred prior to passenger boarding, and there were no injuries to the 3 flight crew and an unknown number of cleaning crew personnel on board the aircraft. During the preflight process, the first officer smelled smoke and then observed a flame coming out from the right sidewall accessory panel. He extinguished the fire by using a halon fire extinguisher. The investigation was delgated to the NTSB by the Hellenic Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board. The panels involved with the fire were examined in Boeing’s Engineering Quality Analysis (EQA) laboratory in Seattle, WA under the direction of the NTSB. The damage on the squib test panel was most severe around the light in position L3. Based on the damage to L3, it could not be determined if a short initiated as a result of physical damage, a conductive path of contaminants, a workmanship error that may have been created when L3 was removed and replaced, or a manufacturing defect with the lamp itself. ## Factual narrative On June 16, 2010, at 1330 UTC, Delta Air Lines flight 139, a B767-332ER, registered as N196DN, experienced a cockpit fire during preflight preparations at Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (LGAV). The fire occurred prior to passenger boarding, and there were no injuries to the 3 flight crew and an unknown number of cleaning crew personnel on board the aircraft. During the preflight process, ground maintenance personnel performed a "push to test" on the right sidewall accessory panel (P61). After an undetermined period of time, while the first officer continued with his preflight procedures, he smelled smoke and then observed a flame coming out from the right sidewall accessory panel. He extinguished the fire by using a halon fire extinguisher. The investigation was delgated to the NTSB by the Hellenic Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board. The panels involved with the fire (the squib test panel and the miscellaneous test panel) were removed and sent to Boeing's Engineering Quality Analysis (EQA) laboratory in Seattle, WA. On September 16, 2010, the panels were examined under the direction of the NTSB. The existing condition of the panels submitted for examination was documented, tests were conducted where possible, and chemical analyses were conducted on some samples. The damage on the squib test panel was most severe around the light in position L3. During tests of the L3 light, the resistance between terminals 2 and 3 varied from 0.6 ohms to 4.6 ohms. Based on the damage to L3, it could not be determined if a short initiated as a result of physical damage, a conductive path of contaminants, a workmanship error that may have been created when L3 was removed and replaced, or a manufacturing defect with the lamp itself. While only 14 ohms were measured between terminals 1 and 2 of L3, it is believed that this short occurred after the press to test was performed per the pre-flight process and a result of the heat generated from the short between terminals 2 and 3. If this value actually existed during the pre-flight, the current would have been significant enough to discharge the fire bottles. The fire bottles were not discharged during the incident. Switch S5 on the miscellaneous test panel showed evidence of heat damage on the bottom of the switch. Switch S5 on the miscellaneous test panel is almost directly above light L3 on the squib test panel. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N196DN](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N196DN), registered now, S/N 28453, built 1997 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BOEING 767 (332) - Registry model: [Boeing 767-332](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-767-332) (registry code 1385101) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney PW4000 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pw4000-series) (registry code 52119, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Damage: Minor damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: Delta Air Lines Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: LGAV, Athens - Destination: LGAV, Athens - Flight plan: Unknown - Airport: LGAV, Eleftherios Venizelos Internat ## Other investigations on N196DN (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB DCA21LA229](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA21LA229), Sep 1, 2021: Boeing 767-332 (N196DN), Seattle, WA, no damage. Probable cause: The flightcrew’s failure to set the hydraulic panel correctly during the execution of the pushback checklist, and when the hydraulic panel setting was corrected, that resulted in the airplane coming… - [NTSB MIA99LA272](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA272), Sep 27, 1999: Boeing 767-332 (N196DN), Atlanta, GA, no damage. Probable cause: FAA approach/departure controller's improper service and failure to coordinate and resolve a conflict between aircraft prior to effecting a frequency change, and the improper application of visual… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.