Engine ground fire resulting from unauthorized pulling of circuit breakers.

Attributes
ACN	312130
Time
Date	199508
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ord
State Reference	IL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	ATR 42
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	ground : holding
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 6500 flight time type : 200
ASRS Report	312130
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 6300 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	312128
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	faa : investigated other other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation other

Narrative:

On the taxiway in a parked position, the aircraft was very warm inside. With 1 engine operating to conserve fuel for extended delay we pulled 2 circuit breakers to open the air conditioning xfeed. This procedure is not approved, although accomplished all the time. Something caused an inlet fire. Company emergency procedures were followed along with an evacuate/evacuation. Also, the procedure of pulling the circuit breakers has been taught at our company training center by company instructors. The information does not appear in any manuals. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter captain has had no feedback from his company on the investigation. He believes that since the procedure he used had been taught by their own company instructors, but was not an approved procedure, they kept it quiet so as to mislead the FAA. The procedure for a malfunctioning propeller brake (leaking oil, etc), is to leave the circuit breaker pulled out. In this case the malfunction was the propeller brake indicator, so the circuit breakers were left pushed in. During the post incident investigation when the FAA checked the cockpit, they were looking to see if the flight crew had pushed in the circuit breakers, when in fact, they had actually pulled them. Reporter says he read an engine bulletin that said the MEL procedure was in error -- to leave the circuit breakers pushed in. Several of his company aircraft of the same type, ATR 42, had been modified to allow xbleed air conditioning, but not his aircraft. The fire was in the engine inlet and reported by a passenger, verified by the first officer, but there were no cockpit indications. When the aircraft was evacuate/evacuationed, 1 lady suffered a sprained ankle because her husband was in a hurry and pushed her out the door when she hesitated. The engine was shut down and the fire went out. The ground emergency crew just checked aircraft with no extinguishing or other action. Aircraft was taxied on the other engine to the hangar. Reporter captain was given 3 weeks off, refresher training and a chkride with the FAA present.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ENG GND FIRE RESULTING FROM UNAUTH PULLING OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS.

Narrative: ON THE TXWY IN A PARKED POS, THE ACFT WAS VERY WARM INSIDE. WITH 1 ENG OPERATING TO CONSERVE FUEL FOR EXTENDED DELAY WE PULLED 2 CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO OPEN THE AIR CONDITIONING XFEED. THIS PROC IS NOT APPROVED, ALTHOUGH ACCOMPLISHED ALL THE TIME. SOMETHING CAUSED AN INLET FIRE. COMPANY EMER PROCS WERE FOLLOWED ALONG WITH AN EVAC. ALSO, THE PROC OF PULLING THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS HAS BEEN TAUGHT AT OUR COMPANY TRAINING CTR BY COMPANY INSTRUCTORS. THE INFO DOES NOT APPEAR IN ANY MANUALS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CAPT HAS HAD NO FEEDBACK FROM HIS COMPANY ON THE INVESTIGATION. HE BELIEVES THAT SINCE THE PROC HE USED HAD BEEN TAUGHT BY THEIR OWN COMPANY INSTRUCTORS, BUT WAS NOT AN APPROVED PROC, THEY KEPT IT QUIET SO AS TO MISLEAD THE FAA. THE PROC FOR A MALFUNCTIONING PROP BRAKE (LEAKING OIL, ETC), IS TO LEAVE THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PULLED OUT. IN THIS CASE THE MALFUNCTION WAS THE PROP BRAKE INDICATOR, SO THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE LEFT PUSHED IN. DURING THE POST INCIDENT INVESTIGATION WHEN THE FAA CHKED THE COCKPIT, THEY WERE LOOKING TO SEE IF THE FLC HAD PUSHED IN THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS, WHEN IN FACT, THEY HAD ACTUALLY PULLED THEM. RPTR SAYS HE READ AN ENG BULLETIN THAT SAID THE MEL PROC WAS IN ERROR -- TO LEAVE THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS PUSHED IN. SEVERAL OF HIS COMPANY ACFT OF THE SAME TYPE, ATR 42, HAD BEEN MODIFIED TO ALLOW XBLEED AIR CONDITIONING, BUT NOT HIS ACFT. THE FIRE WAS IN THE ENG INLET AND RPTED BY A PAX, VERIFIED BY THE FO, BUT THERE WERE NO COCKPIT INDICATIONS. WHEN THE ACFT WAS EVACED, 1 LADY SUFFERED A SPRAINED ANKLE BECAUSE HER HUSBAND WAS IN A HURRY AND PUSHED HER OUT THE DOOR WHEN SHE HESITATED. THE ENG WAS SHUT DOWN AND THE FIRE WENT OUT. THE GND EMER CREW JUST CHKED ACFT WITH NO EXTINGUISHING OR OTHER ACTION. ACFT WAS TAXIED ON THE OTHER ENG TO THE HANGAR. RPTR CAPT WAS GIVEN 3 WKS OFF, REFRESHER TRAINING AND A CHKRIDE WITH THE FAA PRESENT.

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.