Originally Posted by
McGinty
Miracle that there was no fire, given that they must have had enough fuel for quite a diversion if needed.
There actually was a small fire on the tail according to the LiveATC recording linked in the JACDEC article cited above. I presume it was the APU or its fuel line. It flared up and was put out a couple of times by the ARFF crew according to the transmissions.
But yes, the outcome could have been much worse for the crew.
I notice that the spoilers are down, were they caught on the evac checklist? Or, do they quickly bleed down when the hydraulics are shut off?