On June 28, the crew of a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 (Registration N37516) flying from Fort Lauderdale saw an engine fire warning after landing at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The plane was carrying 179 passengers and five crew members on a routine short hop.

As the plane taxied to the terminal, the fire warning light on the left engine went off, forcing the pilots to shut down the engine and use an onboard firefighting system. None of the occupants of the plane were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTS is investigating the incident with the help of United Airlines and airport officials.

The 2.5-hour journey operated as UA2376 from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to EWR was uneventful until the aircraft landed and left the runway to proceed to the terminal. The crew was prompted to shut down the left engine due to fire immediately. After following the emergency procedure, the exterior of the plane was examined by the technical staff.
There was no visible fire or smoke from the engine. The aircraft was towed to the gate, where the maintenance crew further examined the aircraft. The crew found evidence of a fuel leak and heat damage on one of the CFM International LEAP 1-B engines.


The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that all passengers and crew exited the aircraft according to normal procedures without any further incident. The FAA said the plane landed after the flight crew activated the engine fire extinguishers as a precautionary measure given the left engine fire warning.
Based on the preliminary evidence, the NTSB reported that most of the heat damage is found on the engine cases and external surfaces. Until the aircraft is removed from service and the engine is thoroughly inspected, it would be difficult to identify the extent of damage on the inside.
The 4-year-old aircraft involved in the incident, N37516 was delivered to United Airlines on December 30th, 2020.