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NTSB Blames Boeing 747 Engine Fire on Shoddy Maintenance Work

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

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

  • An engine fire on an Atlas Air Boeing 747 was caused by an improperly installed borescope plug, according to the NTSB.
  • The incident occurred just four days after a third-party maintenance contractor performed a borescope inspection and failed to properly secure the plug.
  • The aircraft returned safely to Miami with no injuries, experiencing only minor burn damage, and was back in service within nine days.
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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.

Ryan Ewing

Ryan is Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group, overseeing a portfolio that includes FLYING, AirlineGeeks, AVweb, Plane + Pilot, KITPLANES, and AircraftForSale.com. He founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has more than a decade of experience across aviation media, airport operations, airline workforce planning, and Part 135 regulatory compliance. His experience ranges from time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing aviation industry executives. Ryan holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and is an adjunct instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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