After a C172 would not start; the student pilot noticed smoke from the cowling so turned the master ...

Narrative:

I was participating in the flying club airplane wash party and I volunteered to drive down to where a C172 was parked and taxi it back to the wash pad. I did a brief walk around of the plane; removed all tie-downs and prepared the plane for taxi. Following the cold-start checklist I primed the plane and cranked the starter. The plane exhibited it's usually difficulty in starting when cold which caused me to crank the starter for multiple lengthy attempts (the plane's behavior was very similar to what I had experienced both with my CFI and on my solo flights). After several unsuccessful attempts to start the plane the battery began to show signs of running down; as evident by a slower turning speed of the engine starter. At this point I stopped attempting to start the plane in order to allow the battery to recover a bit and allow the starter to cool. While sitting there I noticed smoke coming from the engine cowling. I had already shut down the plane (master switch; keys) and exited the plane to investigate the source of the smoke. Once outside I observed both smoke and a small amount of flame coming from the engine compartment. I shut off the fuel valve; dialed 911; requested the fire department and then searched the inside of the plane for a fire extinguisher; but did not find one. I then removed as many items as I could from the cabin. While I was removing items; the engine began cranking on its own (no keys in the ignition). I rushed to re-secure the rear tie down to prevent the plane from moving and then stood clear. As this was going on; another member of the flying club arrived and deployed a small fire extinguisher from his vehicle. The fire extinguisher had a positive effect on the engine fire; but did not fully extinguish it. The fire department then arrived and extinguished the remaining fire. Once the fire was extinguished; the battery was disconnected and secured. The wing tie downs were replaced and the cabin door locked.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: After a C172 would not start; the Student Pilot noticed smoke from the cowling so turned the Master Switch and key OFF then upon exiting the aircraft saw an engine compartment fire. He called 911 and while waiting for the fire department the engine began cranking with no key installed.

Narrative: I was participating in the Flying Club airplane wash party and I volunteered to drive down to where a C172 was parked and taxi it back to the wash pad. I did a brief walk around of the plane; removed all tie-downs and prepared the plane for taxi. Following the cold-start checklist I primed the plane and cranked the starter. The plane exhibited it's usually difficulty in starting when cold which caused me to crank the starter for multiple lengthy attempts (the plane's behavior was very similar to what I had experienced both with my CFI and on my solo flights). After several unsuccessful attempts to start the plane the battery began to show signs of running down; as evident by a slower turning speed of the engine starter. At this point I stopped attempting to start the plane in order to allow the battery to recover a bit and allow the starter to cool. While sitting there I noticed smoke coming from the engine cowling. I had already shut down the plane (master switch; keys) and exited the plane to investigate the source of the smoke. Once outside I observed both smoke and a small amount of flame coming from the engine compartment. I shut off the fuel valve; dialed 911; requested the fire department and then searched the inside of the plane for a fire extinguisher; but did not find one. I then removed as many items as I could from the cabin. While I was removing items; the engine began cranking on its own (no keys in the ignition). I rushed to re-secure the rear tie down to prevent the plane from moving and then stood clear. As this was going on; another member of the Flying Club arrived and deployed a small fire extinguisher from his vehicle. The fire extinguisher had a positive effect on the engine fire; but did not fully extinguish it. The fire department then arrived and extinguished the remaining fire. Once the fire was extinguished; the battery was disconnected and secured. The wing tie downs were replaced and the cabin door locked.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.

Attributes
ACN	1067007
Time
Date	201302
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Cessna 152
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Parked
Flight Plan	None
Component
Aircraft Component	Engine
Person 1
Function	Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Student
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15 Flight Crew Total 31 Flight Crew Type 31
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

After a C172 would not start; the student pilot noticed smoke from the cowling so turned the master switch and key off then upon exiting the aircraft saw an engine compartment fire. He called 911 and while waiting for the fire department the engine began cranking with no key installed.