LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For the first time, we're learning what happened in a Frontier Airlines cockpit before a fiery landing at Harry Reid International Airport earlier this month.
On Oct. 5, Frontier Flight 1325 was flying from San Diego to Las Vegas. Frontier Airlines officials say the pilots detected smoke and declared an emergency.
On Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report.
The report states the cabin crew advised the flight deck of an odor in the forward section of the airplane that was "a chemical smell that was difficult to identify" and they couldn't figure out where it was coming from.
Shortly after that, the captain and first officer detected an odor in the cockpit, which became "increasingly pungent and evolved to smell like burning rubber and/or petroleum products, such as plastics."
While no smoke could be seen in the cockpit or cabin, the first officer declared an emergency and requested permission to land at Harry Reid International Airport.
As the pilot and first officer went through the quick reference handbook, they noticed that "aircraft systems began to degrade", which included autopilot and autothrottles. Radios were also only active on the captain's side and the crew "experienced some difficulty transmitting to air traffic control."
WATCH: Passengers recall Frontier plane landing violently at Harry Reid International Airport
The captain decided to land the plane using outside visual references during the approach while the first officer called out airspeeds, altitudes, and configuration information.
As the plane was landing, the report states the captain said the airplane "had no auto brakes and felt like no anti-skid."
As the plane touched down, witnesses heard "two loud bangs in quick succession as the tires exploded about three seconds after touchdown. Then there was a large screen of smoke behind them and fire around the tires." The report states the flames "appeared to extinguish shortly before the airplane came to a stop."
According to NTSB officials, data messages recovered from the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor system indicated a fault was detected in a fan that cools cockpit computers.
Because the pilots didn't know where the smell was coming from, they shut down non-essential systems and began using a back-up power system. That made the landing more difficult with harder braking, which led to more smoke and fire from the brakes.
Following the incident, airline officials said all 190 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated safely and no injuries had been reported.
At least three passengers are now suing Frontier, claiming the airline was negligent and Frontier failed to properly inspect, maintain, repair, and operate the aircraft in a reasonable manner.
Frontier Airlines officials previously told Channel 13 that they don't comment on pending litigation.
