NTSB Blames Boeing 747 Engine Fire on Shoddy Maintenance Work

Agency has published its final report on a January engine fire incident.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, October 21, 2024 at 02:07 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft [Credit: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera]

Key Takeaways:

An Atlas Air Boeing 747 experienced an engine fire in January, which the NTSB attributed to an improperly installed borescope plug.
The faulty plug installation occurred during a borescope inspection performed by a third-party maintenance contractor just four days before the incident.
The aircraft successfully returned to Miami with no injuries, and despite minor burn damage, was back in service nine days later.

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The National Transportation Safety Board said an improperly installed borescope plug led to a January engine fire on an Atlas Air Boeing 747. Maintenance on the aircraft had been performed just four days before the incident.

On January 18, Atlas Air Flight 3885 was between Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the crew received a fire indication in the Boeing 747-8F’s No. 2 engine at approximately 3,000 feet. An emergency was declared and the aircraft returned to Miami with no injuries reported.