The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB DCA16FA013 · Final report

Boeing 767 accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 29, 2015

On October 29, 2015 at about 4:33 pm local time, a Boeing 767, registered N251MY, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 21 people had minor injuries; 79 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

the separation of the flexible fuel line coupling and subsequent fuel leak due to the failure of maintenance personnel to install the required safety lockwire. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the initiation of the evacuation before the right engine was shut down which led to the passenger's injury.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
October 29, 2015 · about 4:33 pm local time
Place
Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Intl · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured and 21 people had minor injuries; 79 others were unhurt.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Boeing 767 200ER · all 767s on the register
Registration
N251MY · no longer on the register · serial 23280
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

On October 29, 2015, about 12:33 pm eastern daylight time (EDT), Dynamic International Airways flight 405, a Boeing 767-200ER, N251MY, experienced a fuel leak and subsequent fire while taxiing for departure at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Florida (FLL). Of the 101 passengers and crew onboard, one passenger received serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage from the fire. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 supplemental as a scheduled charter from FLL to Maiquetía Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS), Caracas, Venezuela. A significant fuel leak and subsequent fire occurred in the left engine strut and nacelle during taxi, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The fuel leak was the result of a fuel line flexible coupling (Wiggins fitting) loosening and becoming disengaged due to the lack of a safety lockwire on the coupling as required by the maintenance manual. The leaking fuel contacted hot engine case surfaces which ignited the fire. Records indicate that maintenance was conducted on this fitting in October of 2012 at the 4C check prior to the airplane being prepared for storage. The area would also have been subject to a visual inspection when the airplane was brought out of storage in 2015. The same maintenance facility conducted both of these activities. About 240 flight hours were logged between the aircraft returning to service and the accident. The leak occurred after the coupling loosened due to the missing safety wire which was the result of an error by the third-party maintenance provider. The flight crew promptly shut down the left engine using the fire handle, and requested fire equipment. As the airplane stopped on the taxiway, passengers saw the fire and insisted that the cabin crew initiate an evacuation. One passenger opened an overwing exit on his own, and the slide did not deploy. The cabin crew initiated the evacuation without coordination with the flight crew. After the evacuation had already begun, the flight crew advised over the PA to evacuate out the right side of the airplane. The flight crew did not immediately shut down the right engine and an evacuating passenger ran behind the engine and was blown to the pavement resulting in serious injuries. The lack of coordination between the flight crew and cabin crew resulted in the evacuation initiating while the right engine was still running.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

What happened, in order

  1. Fire/smoke (non-impact) during taxi (to runway) defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Incorrect service/maintenance
  • factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Expectation/assumption › Cabin crew
  • factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Expectation/assumption › Flight crew

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4E (turbofan); 0 hours total
  • Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4E (turbofan); 0 hours total
  • Fire on the ground
  • Operator: Dynamic International

The flight

  • Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL
  • Destination: CCS Caracas
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Cabi18
Flight crew2
Passengers12069

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

14 documents, released by the NTSB on December 18, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.