Narrative:

Holding #1 for takeoff, a commuter aircraft reported to pdx tower that my aircraft had fire coming out of tail section, from the APU. I checked the APU status and found APU showed 5 RPM and 0 egt. I called the tower to confirm the external indication of a fire. The tower confirmed that they could see a fire/smoke. They rolled the fire equipment for a closer inspection. We were told via radio the fire chief saw a little fire, but it seemed to be dissipating. I called operations to let them know we were returning to the gate and made a passenger PA to that effect. The fire marshall then reported smoke coming from fuselage and ordered us to shut down our engines and evacuate/evacuation. I made a quick call to ps that we'd be evacing the aircraft. The captain fired the APU extinguisher and shut down the engines. An orderly evacuate/evacuation then terminated the incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: aircraft was B767-200. Reporter first officer related chain of events: while waiting #1 for takeoff, a commuter aircraft behind them reported some flame and smoke coming from the APU area. They had shut down the APU previously and when checking the status page on the FMS, all indications were normal, 0 temperature and 5 RPM plus no indication of fire. Reporter called the tower to verify the tail condition and they reported an indication of fire, and they sent out the fire equipment for closer look. The flight crew was intending to taxi back to the gate for further inspection after the fire chief reported the fire was dissipating. However, shortly thereafter the fire marshall thought smoke was coming from the fuselage and told the flight crew to shut down the engines and evacuate/evacuation. Since the flight crew had no way of confirming what was happening in the tail, they complied with the evacuate/evacuation instructions. During the initial evacuate/evacuation. The forward flight attendant asked the first young man in line if he would stabilize the slide when he reached the bottom, to which he agreed. The WX was misty, cool and windy. When the first man went down the slide he just walked away and the next person down the slide was an elderly lady who was injured to the extent they had to carry her away for medical care. Others were injured as well during the evacuate/evacuation. The aircraft was towed back to the gate and inspected with no evidence of fire or damage. Reporter says that it is not too unusual for some fuel to dump when the APU is shut down and can cause a momentary burning in the pipe and in fact, sometimes on certain aircraft, flames will actually shoot out from residual fuel. Reporter questions the qualification of either the tower or the airport fire marshall to direct an evacuate/evacuation. What training does the fire marshall have to determine an evacuate/evacuation is necessary? This situation was really a non event that resulted in passenger injuries and should not have occurred. Flight crew had to fill out reports for the FAA nd the local police. The aircraft was flown to a close maintenance base for further examination, but reporter has had no feedback from his company.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WAITING #1 FOR TKOF, RPTR FLC HAD SHUT DOWN THE APU. ANOTHER ACFT BEHIND THEM RPTED SOME FIRE AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE APU. ALL COCKPIT INDICATIONS NORMAL. THEN FIRE EQUIP WAS SENT TO ACFT, FIRE CHIEF RPTED IT WAS DISSIPATING, BUT THEN THOUGHT SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE CABIN AND ORDERED AN EVAC. FLC HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO EVAC. INJURIES OCCURRED ON THE EVAC AND THE ACFT WAS INSPECTED WITH NO DAMAGE OR EVIDENCE OF FIRE.

Narrative: HOLDING #1 FOR TKOF, A COMMUTER ACFT RPTED TO PDX TWR THAT MY ACFT HAD FIRE COMING OUT OF TAIL SECTION, FROM THE APU. I CHKED THE APU STATUS AND FOUND APU SHOWED 5 RPM AND 0 EGT. I CALLED THE TWR TO CONFIRM THE EXTERNAL INDICATION OF A FIRE. THE TWR CONFIRMED THAT THEY COULD SEE A FIRE/SMOKE. THEY ROLLED THE FIRE EQUIP FOR A CLOSER INSPECTION. WE WERE TOLD VIA RADIO THE FIRE CHIEF SAW A LITTLE FIRE, BUT IT SEEMED TO BE DISSIPATING. I CALLED OPS TO LET THEM KNOW WE WERE RETURNING TO THE GATE AND MADE A PAX PA TO THAT EFFECT. THE FIRE MARSHALL THEN RPTED SMOKE COMING FROM FUSELAGE AND ORDERED US TO SHUT DOWN OUR ENGS AND EVAC. I MADE A QUICK CALL TO PS THAT WE'D BE EVACING THE ACFT. THE CAPT FIRED THE APU EXTINGUISHER AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGS. AN ORDERLY EVAC THEN TERMINATED THE INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ACFT WAS B767-200. RPTR FO RELATED CHAIN OF EVENTS: WHILE WAITING #1 FOR TKOF, A COMMUTER ACFT BEHIND THEM RPTED SOME FLAME AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE APU AREA. THEY HAD SHUT DOWN THE APU PREVIOUSLY AND WHEN CHKING THE STATUS PAGE ON THE FMS, ALL INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL, 0 TEMP AND 5 RPM PLUS NO INDICATION OF FIRE. RPTR CALLED THE TWR TO VERIFY THE TAIL CONDITION AND THEY RPTED AN INDICATION OF FIRE, AND THEY SENT OUT THE FIRE EQUIP FOR CLOSER LOOK. THE FLC WAS INTENDING TO TAXI BACK TO THE GATE FOR FURTHER INSPECTION AFTER THE FIRE CHIEF RPTED THE FIRE WAS DISSIPATING. HOWEVER, SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE FIRE MARSHALL THOUGHT SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE FUSELAGE AND TOLD THE FLC TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGS AND EVAC. SINCE THE FLC HAD NO WAY OF CONFIRMING WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE TAIL, THEY COMPLIED WITH THE EVAC INSTRUCTIONS. DURING THE INITIAL EVAC. THE FORWARD FLT ATTENDANT ASKED THE FIRST YOUNG MAN IN LINE IF HE WOULD STABILIZE THE SLIDE WHEN HE REACHED THE BOTTOM, TO WHICH HE AGREED. THE WX WAS MISTY, COOL AND WINDY. WHEN THE FIRST MAN WENT DOWN THE SLIDE HE JUST WALKED AWAY AND THE NEXT PERSON DOWN THE SLIDE WAS AN ELDERLY LADY WHO WAS INJURED TO THE EXTENT THEY HAD TO CARRY HER AWAY FOR MEDICAL CARE. OTHERS WERE INJURED AS WELL DURING THE EVAC. THE ACFT WAS TOWED BACK TO THE GATE AND INSPECTED WITH NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE OR DAMAGE. RPTR SAYS THAT IT IS NOT TOO UNUSUAL FOR SOME FUEL TO DUMP WHEN THE APU IS SHUT DOWN AND CAN CAUSE A MOMENTARY BURNING IN THE PIPE AND IN FACT, SOMETIMES ON CERTAIN ACFT, FLAMES WILL ACTUALLY SHOOT OUT FROM RESIDUAL FUEL. RPTR QUESTIONS THE QUALIFICATION OF EITHER THE TWR OR THE ARPT FIRE MARSHALL TO DIRECT AN EVAC. WHAT TRAINING DOES THE FIRE MARSHALL HAVE TO DETERMINE AN EVAC IS NECESSARY? THIS SIT WAS REALLY A NON EVENT THAT RESULTED IN PAX INJURIES AND SHOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. FLC HAD TO FILL OUT RPTS FOR THE FAA ND THE LCL POLICE. THE ACFT WAS FLOWN TO A CLOSE MAINT BASE FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION, BUT RPTR HAS HAD NO FEEDBACK FROM HIS COMPANY.

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.