An apparent in-flight engine fire caused pilots of an Atlas Air Boeing 747-8 to return to Miami International airport minutes after taking off on 19 January.
The aircraft was operating Atlas flight 59, according to the Aviation Safety Network (ASN), a service of US nonprofit Flight Safety Foundation. Atlas confirmed to FlightGlobal on 19 January flight 95 suffered an “engine malfunction soon after departure”.
Atlas Air flight 5Y95, a Boeing 747-8 (N859GT), suffered engine issues after takeoff from Miami International Airport, FL (MIA).
— Aviation Safety Network (ASN) (@AviationSafety) January 19, 2024
The flight returned to land back at MIA, 14 minutes after takeoff.pic.twitter.com/eR6tehzEDn
The 747-8 was scheduled to depart Miami at 21:00 local time on 18 January and to arrive at San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International airport at 01:47 on 19 January, according to flight tracking service FlightRadar24.
Flight tracking data show that Atlas flight 95 actually departed Miami at 22:32.
Video posted to social media in the early hours of 19 January shows a jet flying low against a dark sky, with flames erupting from its left side.
The incident aircraft, registration number N859GT, is an Atlas-operated 747-8 powered by four GE Aerospace GEnx-2B67 turbofans, according to ASN. The aircraft was assembled in 2015.
ASN says the video shows Atlas flight 95, adding that the 747-8 suffered a fire in its number-two engine during initial climb after departing runway 09 at Miami International.
The flight crew declared an emergency and returned safely to Miami, landing 14min after taking off.
Tracking data from FlightRadar24 confirms the Boeing jet set a course over the Atlantic after take-off, before quickly looping south over residential areas of Miami and returning to the airport.
No fatalities or injuries have been reported, according to Atlas.
”The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to [Miami International],” the cargo and passenger charter airline, a division of New York state-based Atlas Air Worldwide, tells FlightGlobal. “At Atlas, safety is always our top priority and we will be conducting a thorough inspection to determine the cause.”
There are not yet indications about the cause of the fire on Atlas Air flight 95.
