Jet flames on plane’s wing ignited by fuel leak, investigators find

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch looked into an incident on board a passenger plane which took off from Edinburgh in February 2023.

Flames could be seen under the wing of the plane (AAIB/PA)

The wing of a passenger plane travelling from Edinburgh to New York partly ignited due to fuel escaping, a report has found.

Video footage captured by a passenger as the jet diverted to Prestwick Airport, South Ayrshire, showed flames bursting out of the wing during the incident on February 10, 2023.

The flames extinguished before the plane landed, and passengers were able to disembark safely with no injuries.

The jet had departed from Edinburgh Airport before the engine began vibrating, causing the flight to be diverted.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the Boeing 767-332(ER) (N197DN) “suffered a contained engine failure leading to a fuel leak” and described it as a “serious incident”.

Its report said that during take-off from Edinburgh, a high-pressure turbine blade fractured in the right engine, which damaged a further five blades, although the engine was “still capable of producing thrust”.

The AAIB report said: “The out of balance turbine caused vibrations sufficient to cause a slat track housing drain tube to fracture in the wing which allowed fuel to escape from the right wing fuel tank.

“Due to the high engine vibration, the flight crew diverted the aircraft to Prestwick Airport.

“During the diversion, fuel escaping from the wing was ignited by the hot engine exhaust, and this was recorded on video by a passenger, but the flames extinguished before the landing.”

Emergency services were at the airport as the plane landed, and the fire service noticed the fuel coming from the right wing and put provisions in place to capture the fuel, preventing it igniting on the hot engine or brakes.

The report added: “A safety recommendation has been made to the Federal Aviation Administration that requires the Boeing Aircraft Company to demonstrate that following this serious incident, the design of the slat track housing drain tube on the Boeing 767 family of aircraft continues to comply with the certification requirements for large transport aircraft.”

Boeing has been contacted for comment.