Report details fiery emergency plan landing after leaving San Diego

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A Frontier flight from San Diego to Las Vegas landed in flames and smoke about a month ago. Frontier reported no injuries, but 200 passengers on board were left without an explanation of what went wrong, including Eydith Kaufman in Normal Heights.
“This was a horrible experience,” Kaufman said.
ABC 10News first spoke to Kaufman days after the incident. 10News reporter Perla Shaheen followed through with her on Wednesday, and she says she’s still traumatized.
“The thing that exacerbated the trauma and stress of this accident was that there was absolutely no communication,” Kaufman said.
A new preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board gives new details on what happened. It shows a fan meant to cool down the electrical equipment that stopped working.
“When that fan fails, if it fails badly, it smokes and gives you that acrid smell,” said Former San Diego commercial pilot Joe Graham.
Flight attendants are cited, saying the smell was similar to burning rubber and plastic. Kaufman put on her mask to block it out.
“I wasn’t surprised to see there was electrical problems because we could smell the exhaust, and it smelled like an electrical issue,” Kaufman said.
The report states that aircraft systems began degrading. The captain could not find the source of the smell and followed procedure to prevent a fire. That includes turning off some electrical systems and landing the plane without autopilot or anti-skid mechanisms.
“When you land an airplane at 160 miles per hour, you can’t rely on your own braking,” Graham said. “So there’s a big system electrically powered called the anti-skid. If that’s not working, then you have to rely on your own touch.”
However, according to the report, the captain did not pay attention to how much pressure he put on the brakes. The plane’s tires exploded seconds after touching the runway – smoke and fire erupted. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames – allowing passengers to de-board using a staircase. It’s still unknown what caused the fire.
“I think we’re seeing more and more issues with airplanes and airlines, and it’s not a responsibility to be taken lightly,” Kaufman said.
Kaufman says she’s worried about flying again and hopes for more answers in the Safety Board’s final report. NTSB is still investigating the incident. 10News contacted Frontier Airlines for a statement but said they could not comment on an active investigation.