KLM Flying Dutchman - KLM MD-11 returns to AMS after engine fire

KL-621 [callsign 255] to ATL, operated by a MD-11, returned to Schiphol after it suffered an engine fire around 6PM today near Den Helder. The aircraft dumped fuel above the North sea and continued for a safe landing on runway 36R and taxied to gate E2.

These kind of incidents will, unfortunately, make the MD11 fleet to be phased out even faster :(

Apparently, it wasn't an engine fire but "they had a fail indication for a fire loop of an engine".

Incident: KLM MD11 near Amsterdam on Jul 21st 2012, engine fire loop failure
By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Jul 22nd 2012 14:48Z, last updated Sunday, Jul 22nd 2012 14:48Z

A KLM McDonnell Douglas MD-11, registration PH-KCE performing flight KL-621 (callsign KLM-255) from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Atlanta,GA (USA), was climbing though about FL130 out of Amsterdam when the crew requested to level off at FL200, advised they were returning to Amsterdam requesting to dump fuel for about 20 minutes and reported they had a fail indication for a fire loop of an engine (CF6), actually saying "engine fire fail ..." with the last portion unreadable due to noise. The aircraft levelled off at FL200, dumped fuel over the North Sea and returned to Amsterdam for a safe landing on runway 36R about 50 minutes after requesting to level off.

Emergency services falsely reported the aircraft returned due to an engine fire.

A replacement MD-11 registration PH-KCI reached Atlanta with a delay of 3 hours.