MIAMI – The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report Friday into a cargo plane that caught fire mid-air over South Florida.
The Atlas Air Boeing 747 was headed for Puerto Rico from Miami International Airport in January.
It turned around 15 minutes after takeoff, heading back to the airport, as the fire warning light illuminated and the fire bell sounded, alerting the crew that something was wrong.
Their preliminary report reveals that it appears a third-party maintenance worker did not properly replace a small plug, called a borescope plug, in the plane’s engine after an inspection. That plug is used to seal a small port used to inspect tiny spaces inside the engine.
Atlas Air officials said that five people were on board the plane as it caught fire.
Witnesses shot video as sparks were clearly seen shooting over the sky from the back of the plane.
No one was injured, but the plane did have part of its wing removed, and a softball-sized hole above its second engine was found.
The report is preliminary and a final one, with more definitive details, will likely come out in the next 12 to 24 months.