Aircraft Accident Report
Inflight Cargo Fire
United Parcel Service Company Flight 1307
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71F, N748UP,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 7, 2006
NTSB Number AAR-07/07
NTIS Number PB2007-910408
PDF Document(2.4 MB)
Executive Summary: On February 7, 2006, about 2359 eastern standard time, United Parcel Service
Company flight 1307, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71F, N748UP, landed at its destination
airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after a cargo
smoke indication in the cockpit. The captain, first officer, and flight engineer evacuated the
airplane after landing. The flight crewmembers sustained minor injuries, and the airplane
and most of the cargo were destroyed by fire after landing. The scheduled cargo flight was
operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 on an instrument
flight rules flight plan. Night visual conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of
this accident was an in-flight cargo fire that initiated from an unknown source, which was
most likely located within cargo container 12, 13, or 14. Contributing to the loss of the
aircraft were the inadequate certification test requirements for smoke and fire detection
systems and the lack of an on-board fire suppression system.
The safety issues discussed in this report include inadequacies in the following
areas: guidance and checklists relating to in-flight fire and smoke, smoke and fire detection
system test certification requirements, fire suppression system requirements, aircraft
rescue and firefighting training, cargo airplane emergency exit requirements, hazardous
materials information dissemination procedures, and transport of lithium batteries on
board aircraft. Safety recommendations concerning these issues are addressed to the
Federal Aviation Administration, the Cargo Airline Association, and the Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.