No cockpit warning of APU fire.

Attributes
ACN	285299
Time
Date	199410
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : lax
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : dpa
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	A320
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : preflight
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 350
ASRS Report	285299
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 10000 flight time type : 300
ASRS Report	285781
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

After pushback and engine start, flight attendant in rear reported loud banging noise. Captain went to listen and decided to return to gate. After return to gate, ramp and ground reported fire in tail pipe of APU. Ground mechanic asked us to restart APU to 'blow out' fire. Fire trucks and ground personnel were attempting to put out the fire, unknown to us in the cockpit. There were no cockpit indications of fire in the APU. Should have had indication on ECAM and/or fire light. There was a danger to ground personnel after restart while they were trying to put out fire. There was poor communication between ramp control and ground mechanics and cockpit. I think we need to know why there was no cockpit indication of fire, also there has been 1 previous record of tailpipe fires in airbus APU's or compressor stalls of that nature. I think as aircrews we need more information on this problem. There was no damage to the APU after maintenance inspection. This isn't a common A-320 problem. Shouldn't' there be an ECAM warning? We could not hear the compressor stall from the cockpit either.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NO COCKPIT WARNING OF APU FIRE.

Narrative: AFTER PUSHBACK AND ENG START, FLT ATTENDANT IN REAR RPTED LOUD BANGING NOISE. CAPT WENT TO LISTEN AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO GATE. AFTER RETURN TO GATE, RAMP AND GND RPTED FIRE IN TAIL PIPE OF APU. GND MECH ASKED US TO RESTART APU TO 'BLOW OUT' FIRE. FIRE TRUCKS AND GND PERSONNEL WERE ATTEMPTING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE, UNKNOWN TO US IN THE COCKPIT. THERE WERE NO COCKPIT INDICATIONS OF FIRE IN THE APU. SHOULD HAVE HAD INDICATION ON ECAM AND/OR FIRE LIGHT. THERE WAS A DANGER TO GND PERSONNEL AFTER RESTART WHILE THEY WERE TRYING TO PUT OUT FIRE. THERE WAS POOR COM BTWN RAMP CTL AND GND MECHS AND COCKPIT. I THINK WE NEED TO KNOW WHY THERE WAS NO COCKPIT INDICATION OF FIRE, ALSO THERE HAS BEEN 1 PREVIOUS RECORD OF TAILPIPE FIRES IN AIRBUS APU'S OR COMPRESSOR STALLS OF THAT NATURE. I THINK AS AIRCREWS WE NEED MORE INFO ON THIS PROB. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE APU AFTER MAINT INSPECTION. THIS ISN'T A COMMON A-320 PROB. SHOULDN'T' THERE BE AN ECAM WARNING? WE COULD NOT HEAR THE COMPRESSOR STALL FROM THE COCKPIT EITHER.

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.