Jul 3, 2008 5:29 pm US/Pacific
Threats Issued In Days Before SFO Plane Fire
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
A cargo carrier airline whose plane was burned in an unexplained fire last week at San Francisco International Airport had received a threat a few days before, federal investigators said Thursday.
While the National Transportation Safety Board disclosed the information, it did not say whether there was a link between the threat and the fire that caused "substantial damage" to the Boeing 767 flown by ABX Air.
The fire, which occured a week ago Saturday about 10:15 p.m., burned a large hole through the upper fuselage of the plane, just behind the cockpit.
Fire crews extinguished the blaze and two flight crewmembers, who were preparing to start the engines when the fire ignited, escaped without injury.
The NTSB did not say what it thought the cause of the fire was, but indicated a preliminary investigation had not revealed any indication of an explosive or incendiary device.
Several federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, were investigating the plane fire.
The 21-year-old airplane damaged by the fire was originally configured for passenger operations before Israel Aerospace Industries modified it in 2004 into a cargo plane. The Israeli firm was also cooperating in the probe.
ABX Air is a cargo airline that operates out of Wilmington, Ohio, and has 15 hubs throughout the country, according to the company.
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