Atlas Air Boeing 747 to San Juan suffered engine issues and visible flames after takeoff from Miami International Airport.
Atlas Air flight 3885, a Boeing 747-87UF sustained an inflight engine fire following departure from Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami, Florida.
The flight crew reported that, after departure and while passing through about 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl) they received an “OVHT ENG 2” followed by a “FIRE ENG 2” warning message on their engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS) display.
Simultaneously, the fire warning light illuminated, and the fire bell sounded. The captain declared a mayday with air traffic control (ATC) and the flight was cleared back to MIA via radar vectors for a landing on runway 9.
The electronic non-normal (NNC) checklist was completed, and the number 2 engine was shutdown by the flight crew. One fire bottle was discharged, and the fire warning light subsequently extinguished.
Following an uneventful landing, the airplane was met by firefighting personnel and the airplane was cleared to taxi under its own power to parking.
A post-incident inspection of the General Electric (GE) GEnx-2B67 engine revealed burn through of the thrust reverser fan duct fixed inner wall. The engine cases were intact and there was no evidence of an uncontained engine failure.
The combustor diffuser nozzle (CDN) case port M borescope plug was not secured in the case and was found loose in the engine cowling. That finding is potentially significant because records show a third-party vendor performed a borescope nozzle inspection four days earlier, on Jan. 14, that required the removal of a borescope plug. The technician performing the work and an inspector initialed a work card indicating the task was completed in accordance with the instructions in the maintenance manual.
A preliminary review of quick access recorder (QAR), flight data recorder (FDR), and continuous engine operating data (CEOD) showed no evidence of engine failure or surge/stall.