The NTSB has issued the preliminary report for its ongoing investigation of a landing incident involving a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 in Las Vegas on 5 October 2024.
The aircraft experienced a brake fire during its landing at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. The resulting damage was limited to the aircraft’s landing gear, wheels, tires, and brakes.
Flight History
On October 5, Frontier Airlines flight 1326, an Airbus A321-200 registered N701FR, was conducting an arrival from San Diego, CA.
Chemical Odor Detected
While in cruising flight at FL 290, just prior to the top of descent, the cabin crew advised the flight deck of an odor in the forward section of the airplane. The cabin crew described the odor as a chemical smell that was difficult to identify, and they were unable to determine its source.
Shortly thereafter, the captain and first officer detected an odor in the cockpit, which they initially described as chemical and acrid in nature, or mildew-like. The flight crew stated the odor became increasingly pungent and evolved to smell like “burning rubber and/or petroleum products, such as plastics.”
Troubleshooting Checks & Crew Actions
The flight crew donned their oxygen masks and ran through checklists. The captain began the SMOKE/FUMES/AVNCS SMOKE checklist from the quick reference handbook (QRH).
Because he was unable to determine the source of the odor, the captain, confirming with the first officer, elected to perform the ELEC EMER CONFIG procedure.
Landing RWY 26L
At 1510, the Frontier Airlines A321 touched down on runway 26L. The captain recalled that after touchdown, the airplane “had no auto brakes and felt like no anti-skid.”
A witness located about 300 ft to the left of the airplane as it touched down reported hearing “two loud bangs in quick succession as the tires exploded about 3 seconds after touchdown. Then there was a large screen of smoke behind them and fire around the tires.”
Witness photographs and video recordings showed that shortly after touchdown, smoke began trailing behind both main landing gear before flames were visible from the same area.
The flames appeared to extinguish shortly before the airplane came to a stop. Airport firefighting personnel and equipment arrived shortly thereafter and dispensed fire extinguishing agent around the landing gear and engines.
After Landing Actions
The Frontier Airlines flight crew re-established radio communications with first responders and requested to evacuate the airplane on the runway.
They began the emergency evacuation checklist but ultimately chose not to evacuate the aircraft. Firefighting personnel confirmed they had extinguished the fire and eliminated the smoke, which no longer posed a threat. All passengers were deplaned via stairs brought to the airplane.
Preliminary Report Observations
Data messages recovered from the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor system indicated that at 1449, a fault was detected in a fan unit that cools the avionics compartment. The unit was retained for further examination.
According to the aircraft’s Quick Reference Handbook, activating ELEC EMER CONFIG disables several critical systems due to limited electrical power, including:
- Wheel brake anti-skid system
- Engine reversers
- Nosewheel steering systems
These systems, among others, are rendered inoperative due to the limited electrical power available.
The NTSB now continues its investigation to determine the full scope and cause of this incident.
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