Delta B752 at New York on Jul 7th 2016, engine fire
Last Update: July 20, 2018 / 20:46:54 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jul 7, 2016
Classification
Incident
Cause
Engine fire
Airline
Delta Airlines
Flight number
DL-2288
Departure
New York JFK, United States
Destination
San Diego, United States
Aircraft Registration
N706TW
Aircraft Type
Boeing 757-200
ICAO Type Designator
B752
A passenger reported that immediately after becoming airborne a loud bang was heard, all lights and screens went out and the aircraft levelled off shortly afterwards.
A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N3766 reached San Diego with a delay of about 4 hours.
The occurrence aircraft was still on the ground in New York 52 hours after landing back.
On Nov 8th 2017 the NTSB reported the aircraft was climbing through 300 feet AGL after takeoff from JFK when the crew received a right hand engine fire warning, declared emergency and returned to JFK Airport. An actual undercowl fire had caused the fire warning. The NTSB rated the occurrence an incident and is investigating.
On Jul 12th 2018 the NTSB released their factual report reporting the crew received a fire warning for the right hand engine at approximately 400 feet AGL, shut the engine down, the fire indication extinguished. As result the crew did not discharge any of the fire bottles. A post flight inspection revealed thermal damage to the right hand nacelle, a hole was found in the inboard core cowl consistent with burn through.
Examination of the engine showed no evidence of a mechanical failure or uncontainment. A fuel leak at the FFT (fuel flow transmitter)-to-fuel OUT tube joint was identified to have fed the fire.
The engine had recently undergone maintenance following reports of abnormal fuel flow signals. On Jul 6th 2016 the FFT was replaced but did not correct the problem. Another FFT was installed on Jul 7th 2016, a 10-15 minutes test run showed no leakages and the aircraft was released to service. The fire occurred on the first flight after that maintenance, shortly after takeoff.
Following the occurrence the NTSB described the maintenance actions: "The FFT, fuel IN line and fuel OUT line were removed as an assembly. Pressure was applied to the assembly and leakage was observed at the suspect joint. The fuel OUT tube was removed. The tube O-ring was found eroded and with a 90° arc of material missing. Both ends of the O-ring separation exhibited shallowly angled separations."
Further examination of the o-ring revealed the o-ring confirmed with the specifications. However, there were two cuts consistent with an installation error.
A review of the maintenance instructions revealed the instructions by Boeing AMM omitted an instruction to lubricate the o-rings prior to installation, erroneously instructed to place the o-rings on the FFT rather than into the fuel tube o-ring glands, and did not specify a torque value. The Delta instructions followed the Boeing instructions and thus contained the same omissions and errors.
On Jul 20th 2018 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable cause of the incident was:
Maintenance personnel's failure to ensure proper installation of a fuel tube O-ring, which resulted in an undercowl engine fire during initial climb.
Aircraft Registration Data
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jul 7, 2016
Classification
Incident
Cause
Engine fire
Airline
Delta Airlines
Flight number
DL-2288
Departure
New York JFK, United States
Destination
San Diego, United States
Aircraft Registration
N706TW
Aircraft Type
Boeing 757-200
ICAO Type Designator
B752
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
Delta B712 enroute on Jan 10th 2026, lightning strike
A Delta Airlines Boeing 717-200, registration N919AT performing flight DL-2216 from Wichita,KS to Atlanta,GA (USA), was enroute at FL290 when the…
Fleet type match
Delta A321 near Kansas City on Jan 3rd 2026, engine shut down in flight
A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N349DX performing flight DL-2883 from Denver,CO to Detroit,MI (USA) with 169 passengers and 6 crew,…
Fleet type match
Delta B739 near Atlanta on Dec 30th 2025, odour in cabin
A Delta Airlines Boeing 737-900, registration N801DZ performing flight DL-2150 from Miami,FL to Minneapolis,MN (USA) with 111 passengers and 6 crew,…
Fleet type match
Delta A21N near Tampa on Dec 27th 2025, unusual odour on board
A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200N, registration N503DZ performing flight DL-504 from Orlando,FL to Los Angeles,CA (USA) with 194 passengers and 6…
Fleet type match
Delta A339 near Detroit on Nov 30th 2025, engine shut down in flight
A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-900, registration N411DX performing flight DL-162 from Minneapolis,MN (USA) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was enroute at…
Newest articles
Fleet type match
EAT Leipzig A306 at Brussels on Nov 26th 2020, rejected takeoff above V1 due to difficulties becoming airborne
An EAT Leipzig Airbus A300-600 freighter on behalf of DHL, registration D-AEAI performing flight QY-841 from Brussels (Belgium) to Vitoria,SP…
Fleet type match
Canada B789 at Auckland on Jan 13th 2026, unusual odour
An Air Canada Boeing 787-9, registration C-FVLX performing flight AC-40 from Auckland (New Zealand) to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 269 passengers and…
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