No Evidence Of Incendiary Devices Found
In its continuing investigation to determine the cause of the
June 28, 2008, fire
that burned a hole through the top of the fuselage of an
ABX Air Boeing 767 cargo airplane parked at San
Francisco International Airport, the National Transportation Safety
Board has developed the following factual information:
The primary location of the fire was outside the cargo hold in
an area just aft of the cockpit. The fire was extinguished by San
Francisco Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting, but not before causing
substantial damage to the aircraft. The flight crew of two, who
were preparing to start the engines when the fire broke out,
escaped from the aircraft without injury.
The NTSB dispatched a team of five investigators to the accident
scene. Joining them were representatives from the Federal Bureau of
Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the
Transportation Security Administration; the Federal Aviation
Administration; the San Francisco Fire Department; and Airport
Rescue and Fire Fighting. NTSB investigators have worked closely
with all of these groups throughout the process of examining and
documenting the fire damage to the aircraft.
After the NTSB was notified of the fire, it was reported that
within a week prior to the accident, the cargo carrier had received
a threat against an unspecified aircraft. Preliminary examinations
have not revealed any indication of an explosive or incendiary
device.
The 21-year-old aircraft was originally configured for passenger
operations and modified in 2004 to a cargo configuration by Israel
Aerospace Industries (IAI). The Israel Ministry of Transport has
designated an accredited representative to the investigation under
the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) Annex 13. IAI will serve as a technical adviser to the
accredited representative.
NTSB investigators interviewed both members of the flight crew
yesterday. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are
at NTSB headquarters in Washington where data from each is being
analyzed.
The NTSB team anticipates completing the on-scene phase of the
investigation by Sunday, July 6.
Parties to the investigation are the Federal Aviation
Administration, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, ABX Air, the San
Francisco Fire Department, the San Francisco Airport Authority, and
the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.