History of the Flight
Aircraft EI-DAC, a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ryanair, was conducting a commercial passenger flight from Stansted Airport (London) to Murcia San Javier Airport on 15 April 2005. The flight carried 59 passengers, 2 pilots, and 4 cabin crew. After landing on runway 23 at 14:42 UTC, while taxiing onto taxiway H at 14:43:31 UTC, the crew received a wheel well fire warning alarm. The crew stopped the aircraft and, unable to confirm a fire externally, initiated an evacuation. Slides were deployed from the four main doors, and the evacuation was completed in approximately 30 seconds. Emergency personnel arrived to find all passengers and crew evacuated; no fire, smoke, or elevated temperatures were detected. The warning was false, and following replacement of the deployed slides, the aircraft returned to normal operation the same night.
Aircraft Information
The Boeing 737-800 is equipped with eight emergency exits, including forward and aft doors with integral escape slides and four overwing hatches. The wheel well fire protection system consists of a temperature sensor that triggers aural and visual alarms in the cockpit when a set threshold is exceeded. The system does not include fire extinguishing devices. Inspection of the sensor and control module, as well as electrical connections, revealed no defects. The same spurious warning had occurred the previous day while the aircraft was parked; maintenance actions included inspection, cleaning, and replacement of connectors, as well as general inspections of the fleet for effects of deicing fluids.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the incident, Murcia San Javier Airport reported CAVOK conditions with temperatures around 20°C and QNH 1007 hPa. Winds varied during the approach: initially from 320° at 18 kt, shifting to 340° at 18 kt by landing. Tailwind components increased from 0 to 6.15 kt during the final approach. The controller offered the crew the option to circle for runway 05, but the pilot opted to land on runway 23.
Flight Recorders and Communications
ATC communications between the aircraft and Murcia control tower were recorded on frequency 130.30 MHz from 14:31:42 to 14:46:47 UTC. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) covered from 14:14:26 UTC. Flight data from the operational flight data monitoring (OFDM) system covered the approach and landing from 14:35:00 to 14:44:28 UTC. Communications included the crew's request for emergency services after the warning, and a message from another aircraft confirming no visible signs of fire. The last OFDM recording showed flap retraction after the second mayday call.