Air carrier freighter gets engine fire indication, turns and descends from R576 without clearance.

Attributes
ACN	141654
Time
Date	199004
Day	Fri
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : lax
State Reference	CA
Altitude	msl bound lower : 28000 msl bound upper : 37000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 4 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other
Flight Phase	cruise other
Route In Use	enroute : other oceanic enroute : pacific enroute airway : zoa
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 30 flight time total : 12000
ASRS Report	141654
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical altitude deviation : excursion from assigned altitude non adherence : clearance other spatial deviation
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

At 1 hour, 30 mins into flight at FL370, #2 engine indicated a fire warning. Engine was shut down and checklist completed. Communication at the time was with sfo radio on HF. Clearance was requested for FL280 and return to lax. Sfo responded to stand by and unable lower. Aircraft was unable to maintain FL370, so a descent was started and a right 180 degree turn. Returned to lax 50/70 NM abeam arwy at FL280--R576 is odd altitudes. ZLA informed us it considered this an emergency, although we did not declare one. Engine fire was only an indication (as suspected). Uneventful landing at lax.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR FREIGHTER GETS ENGINE FIRE INDICATION, TURNS AND DESCENDS FROM R576 WITHOUT CLRNC.

Narrative: AT 1 HR, 30 MINS INTO FLT AT FL370, #2 ENG INDICATED A FIRE WARNING. ENG WAS SHUT DOWN AND CHKLIST COMPLETED. COM AT THE TIME WAS WITH SFO RADIO ON HF. CLRNC WAS REQUESTED FOR FL280 AND RETURN TO LAX. SFO RESPONDED TO STAND BY AND UNABLE LOWER. ACFT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN FL370, SO A DSNT WAS STARTED AND A RIGHT 180 DEG TURN. RETURNED TO LAX 50/70 NM ABEAM ARWY AT FL280--R576 IS ODD ALTS. ZLA INFORMED US IT CONSIDERED THIS AN EMER, ALTHOUGH WE DID NOT DECLARE ONE. ENG FIRE WAS ONLY AN INDICATION (AS SUSPECTED). UNEVENTFUL LNDG AT LAX.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.