DENVER, Colo. — The Boeing 737 that caught fire at Denver International Airport in March had parts incorrectly installed which lead to fuel leaks, according to a preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Dallas-bound American Airlines plane took off from Colorado Springs Airport on March 13 but was diverted to Denver after the flight crew “reported engine vibrations.”
Per the report, the crew noticed readings that detected a higher-than-normal temperature on the right engine of the plane during takeoff, but after the gear and flaps were retracted, “power was slightly reduced on the engine” and temperatures subsided to within limits.
“The captain noted high engine vibration indications for the right engine (No. 2),” the report states, as the crew discussed whether they needed to divert before contacting dispatch at American Airlines.
Though the approach and landing were normal, soon after arriving at the gate, flight attendants “heard passengers yelling ‘fire’ and ‘smoke’ and saw smoke start to fill the cabin.”
Stunning witness video showed passengers evacuating the plane through smoke and haze. More images captured from inside the airport showed flames apparently coming out of the aircraft's underside and smoke billowing out of it.
“One of the flight attendants tried calling the flight crew but did not get an answer,” the report states, as another “knocked on the cockpit door to alert the flight crew of the fire outside the airplane and smoke in the cabin.”
The report shows passengers used several of the emergency exit doors to deplane and after evacuating, maintenance crews discovered one if its escape slides was “jammed in the door, preventing its operation.”
During inspection of the damage, investigators saw that the plane “exhibited heat/smoke/burn indications near the right engine nacelle, right wing, right side of the fuselage aft of the wing, the right main landing gear, and the right main landing gear wheel well.”
An on-scene engine examination found the right engine nacelle (the part that houses the engine) was intact, however, “there was dark streaking which was consistent with in-flight streamlines and the aft and bottom of the nacelle was sooted and thermally distressed, consistent with a ground fire.”
Further examination of the engines found that even though the right engine fan blades were present, “one fan blade platform was fractured,” according to the report.
Investigators also found that the “lockwire of a fuel fitting on the variable stator vane (VSV) was loose and installed in the incorrect direction.” Additionally, a part of the plane that controls airflow through the turbine’s compressor was “incorrectly fastened and secured … allowing fuel to leak from the fitting.”
The damaged fan blade platform, rod end manifold, and an exhaust plug were kept by the NTSB for further examination, according to the report, which also states that the emergency slide that was found jammed in the door was shipped to the manufacturer for a detailed inspection, where its maintenance will be reviewed.
At the time of the incident, American Airlines said 172 customers and six crew members were on board. The report notes that 12 passengers suffered minor injuries, and the airplane received “substantial damage.”
The report notes that six flight crew members were also injured during the incident, but the extent of those injuries was not available.
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