LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A fault in a fan unit was detected about 20 minutes before a Frontier flight caught fire upon landing in Las Vegas, according to a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report.
On Oct. 5 around 3:10 p.m., Frontier Airlines flight 1326 from San Diego to Las Vegas made a hard landing at Harry Reid International Airport, resulting in a brake fire during the landing, the report said.
Just prior to the top of descent, the cabin crew advised the flight deck of an odor in the front part of the plane. The odor was described as a chemical smell that was “difficult to identify.” Shortly after the cabin crew smelled the odor in the cockpit and initially described it as “mildew-like” however, it became increasingly pungent and ended up smelling like burning rubber, according to the report.
While in the air, the first officer noted that “aircraft systems began to degrade” which resulted in the unavailability of autopilot, the report said. The display screens, radio, and transponder also stopped working on the first officer’s side.
When the plane landed in Las Vegas, the plane’s tire exploded about three seconds after touchdown which was followed by a “large screen of smoke behind them and fire around the tires,” the NTSB report said.
The flames were extinguished shortly before the plane came to a stop. There was damage to the landing gear, wheels, tires, and brakes, the report said.
Data from the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor system showed that at 2:49 p.m., a fault was detected in a fan unit that cools the avionics compartment, according to the preliminary report. The unit was retained for further examination.
The seven crewmembers and 190 passengers were not injured, according to NTSB. This is still an ongoing investigation.
Several passengers have filed a lawsuit against Frontier Airlines after the flight alleging passengers, including the three plaintiffs, “were stranded inside the sweltering smoke-filled aircraft for nearly an hour before being evacuated,” the lawsuit said.
