A fire which ignited on a Boeing plane bound for New York from Edinburgh was caused by a fuel leak, with the "potential for a more significant event to have occurred".
In February of 2023, Delta Airlines flight DAL209 was forced to make an emergency landing at Prestwick Airport due to high engine vibration.
Footage captured by passengers on board showed flames shooting from the jet's engines before it returned safely to the ground.
The AAIB launched an investigation into the incident, in which there were no injuries to passengers or crew.
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The report found that a high-pressure turbine blade fractured in the right engine during takeoff from Edinburgh Airport, in turn damaging another five blades.
That caused vibration which alarmed the passengers, and caused the pilot to tell the control tower: "I don't want to stay in the air with that engine".
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.
The hot engine exhaust then ignited the fuel, though the fire had gone out by the time the plane landed at Prestwick.
After the aircraft arrived on stand, the airport 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.
It was concluded in the report that "there was the potential for a more significant event to have occurred" had the fuel ignited on the brakes or engine.
The AAIB said: "The passenger video of flames coming from the rear of the wing was likely to be the fuel streaming from the dry bay drain hole into the air flow and being ignited in the hot jet efflux.
"The absence of soot or heat damage on the engine cowlings suggests that the flames were behind the engine rather than being an engine fire.
"None of the witnesses on the ground reporting seeing any flames during the approach, and the fuel leak was first noticed by a ground marshaller as the aircraft taxied to the stand.
"The wind direction and the orientation of the aircraft on stand resulted in fuel being blown aft towards the landing gear.
"The brake temperatures were monitored when the aircraft was on stand and the initial readings were in excess of the fuel ignition temperature. No ignition took place, but this did present significant potential for a fuel fire."
The plane in question has been operational since 1997 and done 15,843 flights.
Following the incident, Boeing initiated a project to review the design of the drain tube, finding that there was no increased risk of 'catastrophic outcome' from a failed drain tube.
The decision is currently being reviewed the US regulator, the Federal Aviation Authority, with the report advising that the FAA "requires the Boeing Airplane 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".
A spokesperson for Boeing said: “We are reviewing the AAIB’s recommendation and will follow any guidance from the FAA.”
They added that the “global 767 fleet continues to operate safely”.
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