Cause of cargo plane’s emergency landing at Miami airport found. Engine ignited mid-flight
A new federal report details how a cargo plane’s engine had a softball-sized hole above it after it caught fire, prompting a return to Miami International Airport for an emergency landing in January.
Video of the Atlas Air 747-87UF cargo plane’s engine sparking and on fire mid-flight over South Florida on Jan. 18 went viral. In the recording, a woman said, “Oh my God, it’s on fire.”
READ MORE: Softball-sized hole found above cargo plane engine after Miami airport emergency landing
On Friday, the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary investigation report, citing a loose engine part as the cause.
Five people were aboard, but none was injured.
Flames shortly after departure
The report stated that the plane left on a cargo flight from Miami International to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
After it rose to about 3,000 feet, warning signs and alarms went off, alerting the crew that an engine was on fire.
The flight captain declared a mayday with air traffic control and began a return to Miami International.
The engine was inspected after the plane safely landed, the report read. A plug, called a combustor diffuser nozzle case port M borescope, was not secured and was found loose in the engine cowling.
Just above where the plug should have been was a burned-through hole. The Federal Aviation Administration described the opening as softball-sized.
The report offered one reason why the plug wasn’t secured in a review of the plane’s maintenance records.
On Jan. 14, the burnt engine underwent an inspection for the borescope nozzle in question.
A third-party vendor needed to remove the plug and then properly reinstall it, the report read. The technician performing the work and the inspector both indicated the plug was reinstalled.
The NTSB is still investigating.
This story was originally published February 10, 2024 at 12:00 AM.
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