MD-11
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human-Machine Interface
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Flight Crew Inflight Shutdown; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition; General Declared Emergency
Aircraft
Passing through FL300; received a Level 1 alert 'Fire Det 1 Fail'; which was followed by a very brief Level 3 'Eng 1 Fire'. We executed the Eng. Fire Severe Damage checklist; shut down Number 1 engine; declared an emergency. Executed an ILS with an autoland. On the deck; the fire crew did a visual inspection on the engine and airframe; said all looked good. Taxied to parking.
Passing FL250 during descent the crew got a Level 1 'Fire DET 1 Fail' followed about 30 seconds later by a Level 3 'Eng 1 Fire'. First Officer was flying the plane. After reviewing what they had the crew decided that since they had a Dual Fire detect fail and momentary (2-3 Sec) Fire Light they ran the Engine Fire checklist which secured the Number 1 engine. They declared an emergency and the Captain flew an ILS approach with an autoland. The landing; rollout; and taxi clear of the runway were normal. Once clear the Fire Department looked over the airplane for about 15 minutes and noted nothing abnormal about the engine. After receiving clearance from a ground control a normal taxi to the blocks was accomplished. The Fire Department followed as a precaution. They noted nothing abnormal during the taxi in and shutdown. Crew did an outstanding job with a difficult situation.
MD11 flight crew experiences a Level 1 'Fire DET 1 Fail' followed about 30 seconds later by a Level 3 'Eng 1 Fire' during descent for landing. The engine is shut down and an uneventful landing ensues.