Posted on 03/15/2025 7:32:48 AM PDT by george76
FAA regulations require Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting units to be on site at all commercial airports when a pilot declares an emergency...
DENVER — Federal investigators are working to determine what caused an engine fire on American Airlines Flight 1006 at Denver International Airport, which forced passengers to evacuate onto the wing.
The fire broke out after the Boeing 737-800 landed and was taxiing to the gate Thursday, prompting a chaotic evacuation that has raised questions about why passengers had to go out onto the wing, why emergency responders were not in position when the plane touched down and what caused the fire.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation and will be looking at maintenance records, mechanical failures, and the timeline of the fire to determine what went wrong.
Why Passengers Were Forced onto the Wing..
Passengers were seen evacuating onto the left wing of the aircraft, a rare event in commercial aviation... Aviation Expert Greg Feith said only half of the plane’s eight exits were usable due to the fire and the aircraft’s position at the gate.
“The problem with the DIA fire was that the jetway hadn’t been pulled up to the aircraft yet,” Feith said. “Without the jetway, you can't use that exit anymore because the slide won't deploy. There's not enough room… This one would be available, but this engine was on fire, and this is where all the smoke was.”
With three exits near the burning engine unusable and one front exit unusable due to the jetway, passengers had limited ways out.
...
Why Firefighters Weren’t Waiting at Landing..
Passengers on board expected to see emergency crews on standby when they landed—but they weren’t.
“I was trying to think rationally, like, there should be fire engines here when we land if this plane is on fire. Certainly, there’s gonna be somebody there to extinguish it,” passenger Ingrid Hibbitts said.
FAA regulations require Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting units to be on site at all commercial airports when a pilot declares an emergency—but in this case, the pilot did not.
An air traffic control audio recording confirms that the pilot did not initially report an emergency when controllers checked in.
ATC: “1006, just to verify—not an emergency, still correct?” Pilot: “Nah, we just have a high engine vibration, so we are cruising slower than normal.”
“The plane was diverted with no explanation,” a spokesperson for DIA said in a statement.
Because the flight was diverted due to an engine vibration, not an active fire, standard emergency procedures were not activated until after landing.
“The fire began once the plane came to the gate. When the fire was first observed, our emergency notification system was activated. Fire response is part of that system. All emergency response procedures were followed as protocol,” the statement from DIA said.
What Caused the Fire?..
Aviation experts say engine fires on modern jets are rare, and investigators are working to determine how the fire started.
Passengers described smelling gas and fuel before landing.
Feith said it’s a possibility the fire was caused by a punctured fuel line, possibly from a broken engine blade.
“It’s evident from the type of fire that occurred, with thick black smoke pooling under the engine,” Feith said. “That’s indicative of a fuel-based fire.”
Feith said a big part of the investigation will involve analyzing maintenance records, engine components, and flight data to determine whether a mechanical failure or improper maintenance contributed to the fire.
How did we get this far without seeing posts regarding a DEI captain on the plane?
Also, as far as I recall (and I quit flying 20 years ago, so a lot of new equipment has been introduced since then), the only planes that had over wing slides were the 747 and 777. Maybe the 767? My airline didn’t have any wide body Airbus, so not sure about those.
not true. air carriers are hesitant to say the word EMERGENCY over the air. The tower may at their own judgement declare the emergency and roll emergency vehicles. Some situations are too severe/time consuming for the Pilot to declare.
They couldn’t find a diverse, all black fire crew to take on the job on such short notice?
You’re welcome. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt...
Two engines running, albeit with one at idle, is not an emergency condition.
Every aircraft type (a technical term) I’ve ever flown, the abnormal checklist for an engine vibration called for a reduction in power. If the vibration went away, the engine remained running - it kept extra electric, air, and hydraulic systems available. The pilots were highly trained to make a normal landing in this configuration.
As to the “evacuation”, I highly doubt it was an ordered evacuation. I suspect a passenger decided on their own to pop the exit. Otherwise all of the other exits except the right overwing exits and the main cabin door would have been opened with chutes deployed.
I’m waiting for more info.
EC
the reply was in reference to the statement that the pilot must declare the emergency. the answer is that anyone in that ATCT can activate the crash phone and roll the emergency vehicles. Let the crash captain sort it
Hogwash on the time severe/consuming comment. How about Al Haynes in Sioux City. I would say that was pretty severe and time consuming, yet they declared an emergency. We’re taught Aviate, Navigate, Communicate in that order.
Rhea, darling,I’m still wilting for you to answer “Why fire crews weren’t on site when an American Airlines plane landed at DIA before catching fire”
not wanting to get into writing a book on emergencies, each situation is different. some can’t for whatever reason say the word emergency, others don’t want to. the freaking answer was to the statement that only the freaking pilot can declare. from the ATC handbook:
EMERGENCY DETERMINATIONS
An emergency can be either a Distress or an Urgency condition as defined in the “Pilot/Controller Glossary.”
A pilot who encounters a Distress condition should declare an emergency by beginning the initial communication with the word “Mayday,” preferably repeated three times. For an Urgency condition, the word “Pan‐Pan” should be used in the same manner.
If the words “Mayday” or “Pan-Pan” are not used but you believe an emergency or an urgent situation exists, handle it as though it were an emergency.
Because of the infinite variety of possible emergency situations, specific procedures cannot be prescribed. However, when you believe an emergency exists or is imminent, select and pursue a course of action which appears to be most appropriate under the circumstances and which most nearly conforms to the instructions in this manual.
didn’t write it, argue away if you feel you must
ATC cannot command an evacuation.
This was not a commanded evacuation as there was no coordination with the crew. This was a passenger popping the overwing exit causing more confusion and not helping the matter. Imagine the outcome if another passenger popped the right overwing exit.
EC
Not arguing with the definition of the term, but ATC does not declare emergencies for aircraft. Your reference doesn’t state they declare emergencies for aircraft. Not arguing, stating facts.
is there anything, in any statement that i have made about commanding an evacuation? didn’t think so. i’m done
disregard. I am wrong.
i’m not even sure how to respond to that. If a person in a control tower sees, hears, smells something that would to him be an emergency situation, he notifies the crash captain, emergency crew, medical crew, whoever of an emergency situation. anything else there to argue about?
In that sense, he can order an emergency for ground crew purposes but for in flight emergency declaration-it is ultimately the Captain’s call. You consider having this discussion an argument? Good grief. I run across so many pilot’s and have dealt with so many controllers that think they are always right. I believed in the old adage that if you are not learning something new on every flight, then you are not paying attention. I can’t tell you how many controllers back down when you say the magic words “Save the tapes”.
over the decades i have dealt with lots of folks that love to argue. i prefer facts. even if a pilot does not wish to say the word emergency because of having to answer to company after does not resolve me of my moral obligation to attempt to help
Seriously. When people’s lives are remotely in danger like that, you declare the emergency, and have the crews ready, whether you need them or not. Pretty stupid on the pilots part.
But that everyone got out safely is a testament to the safety of the aircraft.
Thank you ... = prefer facts. even if a pilot does not wish to say the word emergency because of having to answer to the company afterwards - does not resolve a pilot of the moral obligation to attempt to help
“How does one do that, exactly?”
It involves beans
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