Boeing 747 N704CK

Summary

On 20 April 2008 at about 02:15 local time, a Boeing 747 registered N704CK, operated by Kalitta Air LLC, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 April 2008 at 02:15

Classification

Incident

Location

Newark, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Newark Liberty International (EWR)

Coordinates

40.7408, -74.1707

Aircraft

Boeing 747

Registration

N704CK

Category

Airplane

Engines

4

Operator

Kalitta Air LLC

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Newark → Brussels

Aircraft damage

Minor

NTSB number

ENG08IA022

Nobody was injured.

An engine fire in the No. 3 engine due to the failure of, and subsequent flammable fluid leak from, one of three fuel or hydraulic lines located in the engine's accessory raceway that ignited when the fluid came in contact with the hot engine cases. Contributing to the incident were the lack of adequate inspection and test requirements and appropriate life limit or inspection interval requirements by the manufacturer.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The cargo airplane experienced an in-flight engine fire in the No. 3 engine during climb. The flight crew declared an emergency, shut down the engine, discharged two engine fire suppression bottles to extinguish the fire, and dumped fuel in preparation for landing. The aircraft landed without incident and there were no reported injuries. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed that heat distress and fire damage localized in an area of the engine's accessory raceway where various oil, fuel, and hydraulic lines and hoses were located. The lines and hoses were pressure tested to isolate the source(s) of the flammable fluid leak and three tubes were found to leak. Those three tubes were sent to the manufacturer for further evaluation; however, due to the extensive fire damage, it could not be determined which of the three tubes was the original source of the flammable fluid leak. There were no life limit or required pressure tests in place for any of the three tubes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.