Boeing 757-232 incident near Salt Lake City, Utah, April 17, 2003
On April 17, 2003 at about 3:17 pm local time, a Boeing 757-232, registered N6712B, suffered minor damage in an incident near Salt Lake City, Utah (Salt Lake City International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 123 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
total failure of a fuel flex line. A contributing factor was a fuel leak, resulting in an inflight engine compartment fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2003 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Salt Lake City, Utah · Salt Lake City International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 123 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-232 · all 757-232s on the register
- Registration
- N6712B · registry record · serial 30484
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the airplane leveled off at 10,000 feet, the left engine fire warning light illuminated. An emergency was declared. When the left engine was shut down, the fire warning light remained illuminated and a fire bottle was discharged. The warning light remained illuminated. A second fire bottle was discharged and the warning light still remained illuminated. When the airplane was on final approach, the warning light extinguished. No visible fire was seen from the cabin or from the control tower. After an uneventful landing, the fire department met the airplane and determined there was some "residual smoke" but that the fire was extinguished. The airplane taxied to the gate and the passengers deplaned via the jetway. Engine examination revealed a flex line routed near the thrust reverser had failed. There was a fuel leak and a hole had burned through the shroud surrounding the hot section.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,500 hours in all; 4,552 in this make and model; 199 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 2,551 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,252 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 14, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 232,000 lb
- Seats: 194
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 3:06 pm
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16R, 12,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from SLC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 117 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN03IA067.