B747 flight crew reported receiving a fire alert in the aft cargo compartment while on final approach. Flight crew completed appropriate checklist and continued to landing where they were met by airport response crews who determined indications of fire no longer existed.
Synopsis
B747 flight crew reported receiving a fire alert in the aft cargo compartment while on final approach. Flight crew completed appropriate checklist and continued to landing where they were met by airport response crews who determined indications of fire no longer existed.
Narrative
On approach into ZZZZ at roughly 1;600-1;800 feet we got the fire bell; master warning; and the fire aft cargo" EICAS message. After silencing the bell we immediately [advised ATC]; and asked for Crash Fire Rescue (CFR) to be called. I asked the two First Officers in the two observers seats to run the FIRE AFT CARGO checklist to at least include discharging the fire extinguisher bottles without delay as we only had seemingly moments before we would be on the ground. The fire warning bell ; lights; and warning all came again. I increased airspeed to roughly 220kts and almost immediately started slowing to approach speed. We touched down normally and on speed; used max autobrakes; full reverse; and stopped on the runway. I started the APU and shutdown the engines within a minute. We noted the fire message had blanked; completed the aft cargo fire checklist; and began the evacuation checklist as far as we felt was necessary at that point. None of the brake temps ever exceeded a 2.CFR responded and stated no smoke appeared to be present. I asked them if they had temperature measuring equipment; they had it out and were utilizing it in just moments. They then stated the aircraft had no hot spots. We were satisfied it was probably a false indication and asked Tower for a tug to bring us to the gate; which they did. CFR followed us to the gate; inspected the cargo compartment; and gave the all clear. In the short 4or 5 minutes since the call; we were on the ground; shut down; and CFR was already within a few hundred yards of us with no less than 10 pieces of FIRE/rescue equipment. Staggeringly fast response time on their part; incredibly impressive. I don't know that I would change anything we did; the order or pace in which we did it. The entire crew worked extremely well together; with every crew member adding their valuable inputs at the appropriate times with a clear; calm; and professional demeanor and attitude. I couldn't be more proud of this crew; including the right seat First Officer on IOE. An interesting note; after our cargo fire call on Tower frequency; the Controller acknowledged our cargo fire indication; then asked us if we would like to [request priority handling]. My suggestion is we get to the bottom of the false fire warnings on these aircrafts and get a fix in place."
Second reporter narrative
After commencing the ILS XX L approach into ZZZZ; just outside of the final approach fix; a 'fire cargo aft' alert was displayed on EICAS With the corresponding warbler. I depressed the 'fire cargo aft Arm' button along with the associated discharge button. The Captain instructed us to [advise ATC] and to roll the fire trucks. Due to the short proximity of runway distance; we assured any remaining items of the checklist were completed just after the aircraft came to a stop. Upon touchdown; the Captain stopped the aircraft and shutdown the aircraft. Fire crews inspected the after cargo area with a heat signal identified for several minutes. Once it was clear no fire remained; we were towed into the ramp. I believe the cause of the issue to be a potential fire in the Aft cargo compartment of the aircraftIf this was an incorrect fire indication from the aircraft; there needs to be even more training potentials on false fire cargo warnings. Also; if there's any ability to input a camera into the lower cargo compartments; that could prove beneficial.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.