Incident Description
On 24 December 2014, at 1140 UTC, an Airbus A380-861 (registration A6-EEC) operated a commercial passenger flight to Manchester Airport. After engine shutdown, ground personnel observed a small external fire on the exhaust nozzle of the No 4 engine. The fire was promptly extinguished using a hand-held fire extinguisher. All 26 crew and 378 passengers disembarked normally with no reported injuries. No damage to the aircraft was documented.
Investigation Findings
The aircraft operator conducted an investigation, which identified a fuel leak originating at the pylon Zone F fuel double-walled junction. The pipe designed to route any leaked fuel to an overboard drain was found to be blocked. Consequently, instead of being drained away, the leaked fuel dripped from the pylon area onto the hot exhaust nozzle, resulting in the observed fire.
Corrective Actions
Based on information provided by the operator and the engine manufacturer, the aircraft manufacturer is in the process of issuing an Alert Operators Transmission to all A380 operators. This transmission will require detailed inspections of the affected area to identify any anomalies.