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| Date: | Sunday 20 December 2009 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-33V |
| Owner/operator: | Norwegian |
| Registration: | LN-KKD |
| MSN: | 29339/3119 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-3 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 145 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN/ESSA) -
 Sweden
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN/ESSA) |
| Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE/LFMN) | |
| Investigating agency: | SHK |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During preparations for engine start on the apron, the aircraft’s APU generator failed, causing a loss of electrical power. As a result, the main cabin lighting went out, and the cabin crew’s intercom and announcement systems stopped working.
The pilots continued with the flight preparations, and during the start of the right engine, brief flames were observed from the engine’s exhaust area. A small pool of fuel on the ground behind the engine caught fire but extinguished itself spontaneously.
Some passengers saw the flames and shouted “fire.” This caused many passengers to stand up and move toward the exit doors. The cabin crew in the front of the cabin could not assess the situation themselves because passengers blocked their view and access to the rear, but they judged that there was a potential safety hazard. Consequently, they initiated an emergency evacuation from the front doors.
The cabin crew member stationed at the rear saw that both the engine flames and the small fire on the ground had quickly gone out and assessed that there was no danger of fire. However, due to the electrical failure, there was no way to communicate this information to the rest of the crew according to standard procedures.
The aircraft was evacuated through both front doors. No injuries occurred during the evacuation.
The serious incident involving a risk of injury during the unexpected evacuation was caused by the cabin crew’s inability to control or prevent the situation in the cabin once spontaneous shouts of “fire” triggered a passenger reaction.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SHK
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Oct-2025 07:46 | ASN | Added |
| 25-Oct-2025 08:34 | ASN | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
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