LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal investigators report that an electrical system failed, the autopilot system stopped working, and some radio communications were interrupted on a Frontier Airlines plane just before the pilots conducted a safe but fiery emergency landing in Las Vegas earlier this month. There were no injuries among the 190 passengers and seven crew members on board in October. Five people were on Flight 1326 from San Diego, as stated in an initial report issued on Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board. Federal investigators reported that the crew noticed the smell of burning rubber, a chemical, or light smoke, prompting the cockpit crew to wear oxygen masks and declare an emergency approximately 19 minutes prior to landing. According to the NTSB, the display screens, radio, and transponders ceased to work while the pilot and co-pilot executed emergency protocols. Witnesses noted that flames broke out and the tires on the Airbus A321-211 aircraft exploded as it landed at 3:10 p.m. …, leaving a trail of smoke along the runway at Harry Reid International Airport, as per the report. However, firefighters swiftly extinguished the fire. Passengers were not evacuated right away. Videos and photos provided in the report displayed flames and smoke rising from the main landing gear before the plane halted on the runway. According to the report, the damage was restricted to the landing gear, wheels, tires, and brakes. The crew expressed their surprise upon learning from firefighters that a fire had been put out in the right engine. “The report stated that there were no signs of an engine fire in the cockpit. Aircraft data monitors detected a problem with a fan that cools the control systems around the same time the smell was noticed. The flight data recorder ceased functioning roughly nine minutes before landing due to a power cut as per emergency protocols, but the cockpit voice recorder continued to operate.”
