United Airlines' Boeing 737 Max engine fire is being investigated by the US NTSB.

A fuel leak may have been the cause of an engine fire that occurred on a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in Newark last week, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says in a preliminary report.

According to a preliminary report from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an engine fire on a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in Newark last week may have been caused by a fuel leak.

The airplane, flying as UA 2376, took off from Fort Lauderdale and, following a 2.5-hour flight, touched down at Newark Liberty International Airport at 10:19 local time on June 28. The five crew members and all 179 passengers were unharmed, according to the NTSB report that was made public on July 7. It continues to investigate the incident.

“According to the flight crew, during taxi-in, they observed a No. 1 engine fire warning indication,” the report reads. “The flight crew shut down the No. 1 engine, discharged one fire bottle, and the fire warning indication ceased.”

“There was no visible smoke or fire emanating from the No. 1 engine, so the airplane was towed to the gate. Upon gate arrival, maintenance personnel observed evidence of a fuel leak from the No. 1 engine,” NTSB adds. ”The No. 1 engine thrust reverser doors were opened for visual inspection and heat damage and sooting were observed on the engine cases and external surfaces.”

According to information from Cirium Fleets, the plane was delivered to United in the end of December 2020 and has the registration N37516. According to Cirium, the airline now operates 66 of the type, with 13 more on order.

Asked for further information, United said, ”We can confirm we’re investigating.

The incident happened while the Chicago-based carrier was struggling with an operational meltdown that was particularly harsh on its east-coast hub Newark as a result of persistent bad weather over several days. Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, attributed many of the issues to the FAA's lack of air traffic controllers, but Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation, who oversees the FAA, shot back claiming staffing issues were only slightly blamed for the commotion.

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