Southwest B737 at San Francisco on Dec 24th 2010, engine fire
Last Update: August 9, 2013 / 21:06:25 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Dec 24, 2010
Classification
Incident
Cause
Engine fire
Airline
Southwest Airlines
Flight number
WN-1226
Departure
San Francisco, United States
Destination
Los Angeles, United States
Aircraft Registration
N248WN
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
The airline reported, the indication was later determined false.
The NTSB reported on Jan 11th 2011, that the crew heard a loud bang followed by an engine fire indication for the #2 engine. Preliminary examination of the engine revealed some sooting but no significant thermal damage. An investigation is in progress.
On Aug 7th 2013 the NTSB released their factual report stating that an actual engine fire had occurred even though there was little thermal damage, the fire was the result of a fuel leak. It was found that the fuel flow to the right hand engine had increased without corresponding EGT or N1 increase of the engine, which is consistent with an external fuel leak. The engine was removed from the aircraft, during high power engine tests the fuel leak was discovered between fuel manifold and fuel manifold cover. A closer examination showed that one of the four bolts of the cover was missing and the remaining three were insufficiently torqued leaving the fuel manifold cover loose on the manifold. A review of other aircraft of the operator and later throughout the global fleet did not find any further missing or insufficiently torqued bolts.
On Aug 8th 2013 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable cause of the incident was:
The probable cause of the undercowl in-flight engine fire was the insufficient installation torque of the bolts that secure the fuel manifold cover to the fuel manifold. Engine vibrations and fuel pressure cycles caused the bolts to gradually loosen further until one bolt lost all its tightening torque and fell out. The internal fuel pressure then forced open the fuel manifold cover at the location of the missing bolt, causing a gap between the two mating surfaces which allowed fuel to push past the integral packing, resulting in a fuel leak onto the hot engine cases where it ignited resulting in a fire.
Aircraft Registration Data
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Dec 24, 2010
Classification
Incident
Cause
Engine fire
Airline
Southwest Airlines
Flight number
WN-1226
Departure
San Francisco, United States
Destination
Los Angeles, United States
Aircraft Registration
N248WN
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 1 more free article without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Fleet type match
Southwest B737 at Dallas on Oct 8th 2023, cabin pressurization problems
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N248WN performing flight WN-1534 from Dallas Love,TX to Denver,CO (USA), was climbing out of…
Fleet type match
Southwest B737 near Phoenix on Jun 10th 2013, bomb hoax
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N248WN performing flight WN-2675 from Los Angeles,CA to Austin,TX (USA) with 143 passengers, was…
Fleet type match
Southwest B738 at Phoenix on Apr 6th 2026, engine surge
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N8657B performing flight WN-975 from Phoenix,AZ to Saint Louis,MO (USA), was climbing out of…
Fleet type match
Southwest B737 at Orlando on Mar 26th 2026, cracked windshield
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N212WN performing flight WN-2414 from Orlando,FL to Austin,TX (USA), had just levelled off at at…
Fleet type match
Southwest B737 at Nashville on May 2nd 2025, hail strike causes substantial damage
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N247WN performing flight WN-2231 from Austin,TX to Nashville,TN (USA) with 144 passengers and 5…
Fleet type match
Southwest B38M at New Orleans on Dec 20th 2023, bird strike
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration N8830Q performing flight WN-554 from New Orleans,LA to Tampa,FL (USA) with 164 people on board,…
Fleet type match
Southwest B738 at San Antonio on Jan 27th 2026, rejected takeoff due to runway incursion
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N8563Z performing flight WN-4996 from San Antonio,TX to Dallas Love,TX (USA), was accelerating for…
Newest articles
Fleet type match
China Airlines B744 near Whitehorse on Apr 18th 2026, smoke indication on board
A China Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration B-18721 performing flight CI-5239 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Anchorage,AK (USA), was enroute…
Fleet type match
KLM B772 at Amsterdam on Apr 16th 2026, smoke indication
A KLM Boeing 777-200, registration PH-BQF performing flight KL-862 from Tokyo Narita (Japan) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was on final approach to…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner
ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways