Narrative:

While cruising at FL240 in IMC conditions to monterey airport, 40 mi southeast of big sur VOR and just beginning to commence the descent for an approach, the right engine fire light of the cessna citation came on and remained steady. As the PF, I retarded the right throttle to idle, but the light remained on 'bright and steady.' I had the copilot commence the checklist for engine fire, which included closing the firewall shut-off valve and firing the extinguisher bottle. The light remained on bright and steady, although the other indications (itt, N1, N2) were close to normal when we started the procedure. At this point, we shut the right engine off, and requested priority to land at monterey. When asked if we were declaring an emergency -- the copilot responded that we were with an indication of an engine fire. We made a normal single engine approach to landing in visual conditions at the airport with the fire light going out on landing rollout. We pull off on a taxiway and shut down the aircraft and deplaned the passenger. The fire crews were with us immediately, but no evidence of a fire in the engine area could be found. There was no damage to the airplane from any fire or the shutdown/single engine procedures. A shorted/grounded wire was found which had rubbed against the engine casing and gave the erroneous fire indication. Unfortunately, declaring an emergency, which I feel was warranted based on the cockpit indications usually results in an incident report by the FAA. Incident reports whether they are good/bad, favorable or unfavorable to the PIC, all are viewed by the aviation industry (airlines, insurance companies) as a negative mark on a pilot's record. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was contacted regarding his comment asserting that declaring an emergency is a negative mark on a pilot's record. The reporter said he is an aviation safety counselor. In the highly competitive pilot employment market the airlines and insurance companies under the freedom of information act query okc for personal records of pilots. If there is an incident on the pilot's record they do not have the time to find out the details. An emergency declared is an incident on the record. Violations are removed from pilot's personal files in time. Incidents and accidents stay in the pilot's files forever. There are enough pilots in the employment record without incidents or accidents the employers and insurance companies do not need to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE CITATION FLC EXPERIENCED A FIRE WARNING ABOUT 40 MI S OF THEIR DEST AT FL240. THEY FOUGHT THE FIRE, DECLARED AN EMER AND LANDED AT MRY. THE FIRE WARNING WAS THE RESULT OF A SHORT IN THE FIRE WARNING SYS.

Narrative: WHILE CRUISING AT FL240 IN IMC CONDITIONS TO MONTEREY ARPT, 40 MI SE OF BIG SUR VOR AND JUST BEGINNING TO COMMENCE THE DSCNT FOR AN APCH, THE R ENG FIRE LIGHT OF THE CESSNA CITATION CAME ON AND REMAINED STEADY. AS THE PF, I RETARDED THE R THROTTLE TO IDLE, BUT THE LIGHT REMAINED ON 'BRIGHT AND STEADY.' I HAD THE COPLT COMMENCE THE CHKLIST FOR ENG FIRE, WHICH INCLUDED CLOSING THE FIREWALL SHUT-OFF VALVE AND FIRING THE EXTINGUISHER BOTTLE. THE LIGHT REMAINED ON BRIGHT AND STEADY, ALTHOUGH THE OTHER INDICATIONS (ITT, N1, N2) WERE CLOSE TO NORMAL WHEN WE STARTED THE PROC. AT THIS POINT, WE SHUT THE R ENG OFF, AND REQUESTED PRIORITY TO LAND AT MONTEREY. WHEN ASKED IF WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER -- THE COPLT RESPONDED THAT WE WERE WITH AN INDICATION OF AN ENG FIRE. WE MADE A NORMAL SINGLE ENG APCH TO LNDG IN VISUAL CONDITIONS AT THE ARPT WITH THE FIRE LIGHT GOING OUT ON LNDG ROLLOUT. WE PULL OFF ON A TXWY AND SHUT DOWN THE ACFT AND DEPLANED THE PAX. THE FIRE CREWS WERE WITH US IMMEDIATELY, BUT NO EVIDENCE OF A FIRE IN THE ENG AREA COULD BE FOUND. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE FROM ANY FIRE OR THE SHUTDOWN/SINGLE ENG PROCS. A SHORTED/GROUNDED WIRE WAS FOUND WHICH HAD RUBBED AGAINST THE ENG CASING AND GAVE THE ERRONEOUS FIRE INDICATION. UNFORTUNATELY, DECLARING AN EMER, WHICH I FEEL WAS WARRANTED BASED ON THE COCKPIT INDICATIONS USUALLY RESULTS IN AN INCIDENT RPT BY THE FAA. INCIDENT RPTS WHETHER THEY ARE GOOD/BAD, FAVORABLE OR UNFAVORABLE TO THE PIC, ALL ARE VIEWED BY THE AVIATION INDUSTRY (AIRLINES, INSURANCE COMPANIES) AS A NEGATIVE MARK ON A PLT'S RECORD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS CONTACTED REGARDING HIS COMMENT ASSERTING THAT DECLARING AN EMER IS A NEGATIVE MARK ON A PLT'S RECORD. THE RPTR SAID HE IS AN AVIATION SAFETY COUNSELOR. IN THE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PLT EMPLOYMENT MARKET THE AIRLINES AND INSURANCE COMPANIES UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFO ACT QUERY OKC FOR PERSONAL RECORDS OF PLTS. IF THERE IS AN INCIDENT ON THE PLT'S RECORD THEY DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO FIND OUT THE DETAILS. AN EMER DECLARED IS AN INCIDENT ON THE RECORD. VIOLATIONS ARE REMOVED FROM PLT'S PERSONAL FILES IN TIME. INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS STAY IN THE PLT'S FILES FOREVER. THERE ARE ENOUGH PLTS IN THE EMPLOYMENT RECORD WITHOUT INCIDENTS OR ACCIDENTS THE EMPLOYERS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES DO NOT NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE INCIDENT.

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.