Boeing 747-100 incident near Lyon, Fr, October 2, 2003
On October 2, 2003 at about 7:40 am local time, a Boeing 747-100, registered N479EV, suffered minor damage in an incident near Lyon. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An undetermined malfunction in an aircraft system while in cruise flight leading to a fire in the engine number four B Loop portion (Card A16) of the fire detection controls cardfile.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2003 · about 7:40 am local time
- Place
- Lyon, France
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-100 · all 747-100s on the register
- Registration
- N479EV · no longer on the register · serial 19898
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While the aircraft was in cruise flight at flight level 400, the right wing overheat light illuminated. The crew accomplished the appropriate checklist, and then about five minutes later the engine number three and engine number four B fire loop indicators illuminated. Soon thereafter an acrid odor was detected by the flight crew, and smoke was seen coming from behind the P-6 circuit breaker panel. The crew then became aware of a small fire in the fire detection card file, which they extinguished with a hand-held fire extinguisher. The crew then diverted to a nearby airport and completed an uneventful precautionary landing. The post-event investigation revealed that the fire detection card for engine number four B Loop fire detection (card A16), and its associated socket connector, had suffered severe thermal damage to include partial destruction. A series of tests and examinations were not able to detect evidence of any specific anomalies in the A16 card, the card file, the card file protection circuit, or any of the aircraft's systems. There was no evidence of a lightning strike being the initiating event, and the aircraft has continued in service since the time of this event without generating any other maintenance discrepancies known to be directly related to the fire detection card files.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,783 hours in all; 6,253 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 31, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,650 hours in all; 409 in this make and model; 206 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 28, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 98,622 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 1, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 750,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney JT9-7A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OKBK Kuwait City at 1:48 am
- Destination: FRA Frankfurt
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.
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.