Boeing 767 incident near Jamaica, New York, February 8, 2012
On February 8, 2012 at about 4:09 pm local time, a Boeing 767, registered N360AA, was involved in an incident during initial climb near Jamaica, New York (John F. Kennedy International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 215 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the American Airlines aviation maintenance technicians to properly reassemble the two-piece bracket and spray shield on the integrated drive generator fuel-oil heat exchanger that caused a fuel leak that sprayed out and ignited on hot engine cases. Contributing to the cause of the fire was the 767 Aircraft Maintenance Manual’s lack of any graphical or pictorial displays of the correct assembly of the two-piece bracket and spray shield.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2012 · about 4:09 pm local time
- Place
- Jamaica, New York · John F. Kennedy International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 215 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767 323 · all 767s on the register
- Registration
- N360AA · no longer on the register · serial 24041
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On February 8, 2012, American Airlines flight 837, a Boeing 767-323ER, had a fire in the right engine, a General Electric (GE) CF6-80C2B6, shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Jamaica, New York. The pilots reported that as the airplane was climbing through 9,000 feet, they heard a bang that was immediately followed by a right engine fire warning in the cockpit. The pilots further stated that they shutdown the right engine and discharged both fire bottles into the right engine’s nacelle before the fire warning was extinguished. The pilots also stated that they declared an emergency and returned to JFK for a single-engine, overweight landing without further incident. When the right engine was wet motored, fuel leaked from the front of the integrated drive generator (IDG) fuel-oil heat exchanger. The examination of the front of the IDG fuel-oil heat exchanger revealed there was a pre-service bulletin 73-0242 two-piece bracket and spray shield that had been misinstalled with the bracket over the spray shield rather than the spray shield being over the bracket. American Airlines aviation maintenance technicians replaced the right engine's fuel flow transmitter and an adjacent fuel tube during the previous night requiring the removal and reinstallation of the bracket and spray shield on the front of the IDG fuel-oil heat exchanger. A seal under the fuel tube flange that is held in place by the bracket had the O-ring partially missing, which was the source of the fuel leak.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel oil cooler › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Organizational issues › Management › Resources › Adequacy of documents/info › Manufacturer
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Last flight review: November 22, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Last flight review: July 7, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 97,101 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, February 2, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 408,000 lb
- Seats: 225
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: General Electric CF6 80C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: JFK Jamaica NY at 4:00 pm
- Destination: PAP Port Au Prince
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 9 | |||
| Flight crew | 3 | |||
| LapC | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 198 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N360AA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.