NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
June 29, 2008

NTSB TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS RESPOND TO A GROUND FIRE ABOARD B-767 CARGO JET

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of specialists to investigate a ground fire that erupted aboard a parked B-767 cargo jet last night at the San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California.

About 10:00 p.m. PDT, the flightcrew of a Boeing B-767 (N799AX), operated by Airborne Express as cargo flight 1611, reported smoke and fire just aft of cockpit while preparing to start the engines. The airplane was parked at the time, and all cargo had been loaded. Both flightcrew members exited the airplane safely via cockpit window. The airport rescue and fire fighting unit extinguished the fire; however, a hole had been burned through the crown of the aircraft above the forward galley area.

NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has designated investigator Lorenda Ward as the Investigator-in-Charge. An aviation systems specialist, survival factors specialist, and fire/explosion specialist will accompany her. The team is expected to arrive on scene this evening.

NTSB Media Contact: Keith Holloway
(202) 314-6100
hollowk@ntsb.gov

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