In aviation, an in-flight fire is a type of aviation accident where an aircraft catches on fire in-flight. They are considered one of the most dangerous hazards in aviation, with a report from the British Civil Aviation Authority showing that after a fire on an aircraft starts, flight crews only have on average 17 minutes to land their aircraft before it becomes uncontrollable. Between 1981 and 1990, approximately 20% of all fatalities on US airlines were caused by in-flight fires.

Types Cabin fire – A fire in the passenger cabin. Includes related areas like lavatories, galleys, overhead compartments, and items on passengers. Cargo fire – A fire inside the cargo hold. Cockpit fire – A fire in the cockpit. Electrical fire – A fire occurring from electrical wires or other electrical systems. Engine fire – A fire inside of an aircraft engine.

Causes and spread

Electrical fires are often the result of rogue sparks or the overheating of electronic components. If there are flammable materials around the source of the fire, an electrical fire can quickly spread. Cockpit fires are often related to electrical fires as there many electrical components inside the cockpit that can produce sparks. If a cockpit fire is not extinguished in time, the smoke and fire on the controls could make controlling the aircraft harder.

Fires in the cabin can be caused by items that the passengers bring on board, like personal electronic devices, lithium batteries, cigarettes, and can be exacerbated by improper waste management. Electrical fires can also occur in the cabin area from wires that run through the cabin, like those for in-flight entertainment systems.

Depending on the contents of the cargo hold of an aircraft, a cargo fire can quickly spread. For example, lithium batteries can undergo a process called thermal runaway, where the battery is able to serve as a source of heat, fuel, and an oxidizing agent. In 2026, the UK Civil Aviation Authority described lithium-battery fire risk as the number one safety risk to aircraft, after reported UK incidents involving lithium-battery devices detected in hold luggage nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025. Other hazardous cargo include items that can serve as an oxidizing agent, like oxygen bottles and cleaning products.

Engine failures, mainly from loss of engine oil and uncontained engine failures, are the main cause of engine fires. In these scenarios, the excess heat produced could ignite the jet fuel or jet fuel vapors inside the engine.

In cases where a fire burns for a sufficient time, an event called a flashover can occur. A flashover is the near simultaneous ignition of any combustible material within an enclosed area. As more flammable gasses are released when materials burn and the temperature rises, the autoignition temperature is eventually reached, causing everything in the enclosed space to ignite. Temperatures of flashovers can reach , making them unsurvivable for more than a few seconds. Prevention

Since 1985, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated more fire-resistant materials to be used in aircraft to lengthen the amount of time until a flashover occurs. A kerosene burner test for aircraft seats is used to validate their resistance to the type of fuel fire most commonly encountered; developments in fire-resistant foam and fire-blocking layers have adding 40 to 60 seconds of time for passengers to escape the aircraft. Since 1986, aircraft cargo compartments have been required to have more fire-resistant lining and in 1998, the compartments were to have fire detection and suppression systems. Halon fire extinguishers, generally using Halon 1301, are used widely throughout the aviation industry because of their high performance to weight ratio. Due to its ozone depleting nature, aviation fire-suppression systems are one of the last remain permitted uses of halon.

Notable examples

Event Date Aircraft Site Fatalities/Occupants Type Cause RefNorthwest Airlines Flight 113 January 1939Lockheed 14H Super ElectraMiles City, Montana, United States4/4Cockpit fireUndetermined, possible fuel leakTWA Flight 51311 July 1946Lockheed L-049 ConstellationBern Township, Pennsylvania, United States5/6Cargo hold fireWire arcingUnited Air Lines Flight 60824 October 1947Douglas DC-6Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, United States52/52Cargo fireFuel entering cabin heater air intake scoop during transfer of fuel1951 Miami Airlines C-46 crash16 December 1951Curtiss C-46F-1-CU CommandoElizabeth, New Jersey, United States56/56Engine fireThe No. 10 cylinder in the right engine failedAmerican Airlines Flight 4764 August 1955Convair CV-240-0Fort Leaonard Wood, Missouri, United States30/30Engine/wing fire The No. 12 cylinder in the right engine failedSwissair Flight 3064 September 1963Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle IIIDürrenäsch, Aargau, Switzerland 80/80Landing-gear fireOverheated tires from excessive brakingUnited Air Lines Flight 8239 July 1964Vickers Viscount 745DCocke County, near Parrottsville, Tennessee, United States39/39Cabin fireCabin fire of undetermined origin Mohawk Airlines Flight 4023 June 1967BAC 1-11 204AFBlossburg, Pennsylvania, United States34/34Tail section fireComplete valve failure in APU spreading fire to the tail sectionBOAC Flight 7128 April 1968Boeing 707-465Hounslow, United Kingdom 5/127Engine/wing fireEngine failure due to metal fatigue, failure to close fuel shut off valve Interflug Flight 45014 August 1972Ilyushin Il-62Königs Wusterhausen, Bezirk Potsdam, East Germany156/156Cargo fireHot-air tube leakVarig Flight 82011 July 1973Boeing 707-320CNear Orly Airport, Île-de-France, France123/134Cabin fireUndetermined, potential electrical fault or lit cigarette Pakistan International Airlines Flight 74026 November 1979Boeing 707-340CNear Taif, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia156/156Cabin fireUndetermined, potential electrical fault or gasoline leak Saudia Flight 16319 August 1980Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStarRiyadh International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia301/301Cargo FireUndeterminedPilgrim Airlines Flight 45821 February 1982de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterScituate Reservoir, Rhode Island, United States1/12Cockpit fireIgnition of the windshield washer/deicer fluid, exact ignition source undeterminedAir Canada Flight 7972 June 1983McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Kentucky, United States23/46Cabin fireUndetermined, potential electrical faultMexicana de Aviación Flight 94031 March 1986Boeing 727-264Near Maravatío, Michoacán, Mexico167/167Landing-gear fireUnder-inflated and overheated tires being filled with air, chemical reactionLOT Polish Airlines Flight 50559 May 1987Ilyushin Il-62Kabaty Woods, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland183/183Engine fireDisintegration of engine bearings from improper maintenance South African Airways Flight 29528 November 1987Boeing 747-244BM CombiIndian Ocean, 225 km NE of Flacq, Mauritius159/159Cargo fireDisputed; undetermined (Official investigation), military fuel (alternate theories)American Airlines Flight 1323 February 1988McDonnell Douglas MD-83Nashville International Airport,Tennessee, United States0/126Cargo fireHazardous materials in cargo hold weren't properly storedHorizon Air Flight 265815 April 1988de Havilland Canada DHC-8-102Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Washington, United States0/40Engine fireImproperly installed fuel filterBritish Midland Airways Flight 0928 January 1989Boeing 737-4Y0East Midlands Airport, Kegworth, England47/126Engine fireThe left engine experienced an excessive vibration of its LP Stage 1 compressor causing a fire which led to smoke entering the cockpit, the pilots in response mistakenly shut off the right engine which eventually caused the left engine to fail.Nigeria Airways Flight 212011 July 1991Douglas DC-8-61Near King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia261/261Landing-gear fireUnder-inflated and overheated tires bursting on takeoffZambia national football team plane crash27 April 1993de Havilland Canada DHC-5D BuffaloGulf of Guinea, near Akanda, Estuaire Province, Gabon30/30Engine fireEngine defects, carbon contamination in gearboxBaikal Airlines Flight 1303 January 1994Tupolev Tu-154MMamony, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia124/124Engine fireUncontained engine failure from foreign object damageValuJet Flight 59211 May 1996McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32Everglades, Florida, United States110/110Cargo fireImproperly packaged oxygen generators activating, excessive heatFedEx Express Flight 14065 September 1996McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10CFStewart International Airport, New York, United States0/5Cargo fireUndeterminedPropair Flight 42018 June 1998Fairchild Metroliner SA226Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Quebec, Canada11/11Landing-gear fireOverheated dragged tiresSwissair Flight 1112 September 1998McDonnell Douglas MD-1110 km SW of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada229/229Electrical fireFlammable materials around in-flight entertainment wiresAir France Flight 459025 July 2000ConcordeGonesse, Île-de-France, France109/109Fuel tank/Engine fireForeign object damage on landing gearChina Northern Airlines Flight 61367 May 2002McDonnell Douglas MD-82Bohai Bay, near Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, Liaoning, China112/112Cabin fireIntentional gasoline fire, attempted insurance fraud UPS Airlines Flight 63 September 2010Boeing 747-400FNear Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, United Arab Emirates2/2Cargo fireAutoignition of cargo pallet with lithium batteriesAsiana Airlines Flight 99128 July 2011Boeing 747-400FEast China Sea, W of Jeju City, Jeju Province, South Korea2/2Cargo fireUndeterminedEgyptAir Flight 80419 May 2016Airbus A320-232Mediterranean Sea, N of Alexandria66/66Cabin/Cockpit fireDisputed; bombing (ECAA), leaking oxygen mask (BEA)Alaska Air Fuel Douglas C-54 crash 23 April 2024Douglas C-54D SkymasterTanana River, Alaska, United States2/2Fuel tank/engine fireIgnition of leaking fuel after exposure to hot oil, improper maintenanceTotal Linhas Aéreas Flight 56829 November 2024Boeing 737-4Q8 (SF)São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, São Paulo, Brazil0/2Cargo fireUnder investigationUPS Airlines Flight 29764 November 2025McDonnell Douglas MD-11FLouisville Muhammad Ali International Airport,Louisville, Kentucky, USA3/3 (12 ground)Wing fire due to engine separation Under investigationhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/11/04/louisville-airport-aircraft-incident/87094155007/

Notes

References

External links List of in-flight fire accidents on the Aviation Safety Network