The airplane fire that occurred during taxi of Dynamic International Airways flight 405 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida was caused when the main fuel supply line became disconnected, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Tuesday in a press release.
More than 100 combined passengers and crewmembers were on the Oct. 29 flight, one of which was seriously injured. Another 21 people suffered minor injuries during the evacuation process.
According to the preliminary findings, the main fuel supply line coupling assembly had been detached both above and behind the left engine of the Boeing 767 aircraft. The problem coupling assembly has since been retained and will undergo further examination.
The fire caused thermal damage to the lower inboard portion of the plane’s left wing, as well as its left engine cowling, and left fuselage center section. Despite the flames, the NTSB said the aircraft’s fuselage was not penetrated. An examination of the left engine provided no evidence that an engine uncontainment or other occurred.
NTSB workers are reviewing the airplane’s maintenance records at the airline’s North Carolina-based headquarters. After an initial review of the airplane’s onboard logbook, the NTSB found no reference to maintenance action being performed on the fueling coupling area prior to the Oct. 29 flight. The board also said in its update that the airplane’s records show that it was in dry storage for approximately 29 months, leaving the dormant period in September when Dynamic International Airways leased the aircraft. Before the fire the airline flew the plane for about 240 hours.
It is expected that the investigators will finish the onsite investigation Tuesday. The FDR/CVR are being evaluated at the NTSB’s Records Laboratory in Washington, D.C.
Dynamic International Airlines has indicated that it will inspect the installation of the fuel line coupling assemblies on the rest of its aircraft, according to the NTSB.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense