2 fire extinguishers used to put out blaze in jet cockpit

Two fire extinguishers were needed to fight a blaze in the cockpit of a jet airliner that was diverted to Dulles International Airport on Sunday, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.

The captain and first officer of the United Airlines Boeing 757 both donned oxygen masks and smoke goggles when they spotted the smoke and fire, about 30 minutes into a New York to Los Angeles flight, the NTSB said.

The NTSB said the captain discharged a halon fire extinguisher, and the fire dissipated. But the smoke and fire reignited, and the captain got another extinguisher from a purser, the NTSB said.

One of the 105 passengers, Hollywood publicist Phil Lobel, said he saw a flight attendant run to the back of the plane, then to the front, apparently with the second extinguisher.

On final approach the captain's windshield cracked, the NTSB said. Lobel said he later saw a web of cracks in the glass. "You couldn't see through it," he said.

The NTSB said it would try to find whether the incident was linked to two previous windshield fires on 757-200s.