Narrative:

The first indication of any problem was the report to the flight deck from a flight attendant that a passenger observed a small flame coming from the forward inboard side of #1 engine. The flight altitude also said she observed the same apparent flame from the engine. We had no indications at all from the cockpit instruments that any problem existed. The captain sent the so back to observe and he returned with the same assessment. A small flame was coming from the forward inboard section of the #1 engine where it meets the pylon. I was the first officer and went back to observe. I saw what appeared to be a small yellow flame coming from the corner where the pylon meets the forward most part of the #1 engine access panel. Observing from rows xx, yy, the apparent flame looked to be only about 1-2 inches high and yellow. It was flickering and almost seemed as though at could be a flame or a reflection. Again there were no indications from instruments of a problem. #1 throttle was brought to idle while the so observed the engine. There was no change in the apparent flame. The captain decided to shut down the engine which was done as per procedure. Prior to the shutdown, maintenance was called to get their input. Tulsa was recommended as a divert airport and the captain agreed. Vectors were given and an uneventful landing was made at tulsa. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the first officer of this L1011-1 said that the flame was about the size of a candle, bright yellow and flickering. There was no doubt in the first officer's mind nor anybody that he talked to that it was a flame. When the flight crew shut down the engine the flame went out. A passenger who had a pair of binoculars confirmed this along with the cabin attendants, other flight crew members, and other passenger in the viewing area. The flight crew diverted to tul and contract maintenance checked the engine. The contract maintenance personnel found what was initially thought to be a flame source near some insulation, but this was found to be incorrect. Company maintenance personnel were flown in and they searched for the flame source without success. The aircraft was then ferried to lax with maintenance personnel on board and no flame was seen. The source has still not been found. The first officer said that when in their initial climb from their departure station before the flame appeared the flight crew smelled an electrical short or discharge type of odor. The captain had several items including the radar and the window shield heat shut down for a while and the odor dissipated and did not return when the system were re-energized. The first officer said that he thinks that the electrical odor may have come from some of the lightning strikes on the departure airport just before their departure. He said that they could smell the ozone in the air as they were walking on the ramp. He also said that the captain has written an ASRS report and an article for the pilot's safety bulletin detailing all of the events that occurred on this flight. Supplemental information from acn 366789: the source of this flame is still unknown even after engine inspection to run up. One theory is that it was caused by static buildup.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR L1011-1 FLC HAS A BRIGHT YELLOW FLAME ABOUT THE SIZE OF A CANDLE FLAME ON THE INBOARD UPPER PORTION OF THE #1 ENG COWLING NEAR THE SEAL WHERE THE PYLON MEETS THE COWLING. THE FLAME WENT OUT WHEN THE ENG WAS SHUT DOWN. MAINT WAS UNABLE TO DISCOVER THE SOURCE OF THIS FLAME.

Narrative: THE FIRST INDICATION OF ANY PROB WAS THE RPT TO THE FLT DECK FROM A FLT ATTENDANT THAT A PAX OBSERVED A SMALL FLAME COMING FROM THE FORWARD INBOARD SIDE OF #1 ENG. THE FLT ALT ALSO SAID SHE OBSERVED THE SAME APPARENT FLAME FROM THE ENG. WE HAD NO INDICATIONS AT ALL FROM THE COCKPIT INSTS THAT ANY PROB EXISTED. THE CAPT SENT THE SO BACK TO OBSERVE AND HE RETURNED WITH THE SAME ASSESSMENT. A SMALL FLAME WAS COMING FROM THE FORWARD INBOARD SECTION OF THE #1 ENG WHERE IT MEETS THE PYLON. I WAS THE FO AND WENT BACK TO OBSERVE. I SAW WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SMALL YELLOW FLAME COMING FROM THE CORNER WHERE THE PYLON MEETS THE FORWARD MOST PART OF THE #1 ENG ACCESS PANEL. OBSERVING FROM ROWS XX, YY, THE APPARENT FLAME LOOKED TO BE ONLY ABOUT 1-2 INCHES HIGH AND YELLOW. IT WAS FLICKERING AND ALMOST SEEMED AS THOUGH AT COULD BE A FLAME OR A REFLECTION. AGAIN THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS FROM INSTS OF A PROB. #1 THROTTLE WAS BROUGHT TO IDLE WHILE THE SO OBSERVED THE ENG. THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE APPARENT FLAME. THE CAPT DECIDED TO SHUT DOWN THE ENG WHICH WAS DONE AS PER PROC. PRIOR TO THE SHUTDOWN, MAINT WAS CALLED TO GET THEIR INPUT. TULSA WAS RECOMMENDED AS A DIVERT ARPT AND THE CAPT AGREED. VECTORS WERE GIVEN AND AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG WAS MADE AT TULSA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FO OF THIS L1011-1 SAID THAT THE FLAME WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A CANDLE, BRIGHT YELLOW AND FLICKERING. THERE WAS NO DOUBT IN THE FO'S MIND NOR ANYBODY THAT HE TALKED TO THAT IT WAS A FLAME. WHEN THE FLC SHUT DOWN THE ENG THE FLAME WENT OUT. A PAX WHO HAD A PAIR OF BINOCULARS CONFIRMED THIS ALONG WITH THE CABIN ATTENDANTS, OTHER FLC MEMBERS, AND OTHER PAX IN THE VIEWING AREA. THE FLC DIVERTED TO TUL AND CONTRACT MAINT CHKED THE ENG. THE CONTRACT MAINT PERSONNEL FOUND WHAT WAS INITIALLY THOUGHT TO BE A FLAME SOURCE NEAR SOME INSULATION, BUT THIS WAS FOUND TO BE INCORRECT. COMPANY MAINT PERSONNEL WERE FLOWN IN AND THEY SEARCHED FOR THE FLAME SOURCE WITHOUT SUCCESS. THE ACFT WAS THEN FERRIED TO LAX WITH MAINT PERSONNEL ON BOARD AND NO FLAME WAS SEEN. THE SOURCE HAS STILL NOT BEEN FOUND. THE FO SAID THAT WHEN IN THEIR INITIAL CLB FROM THEIR DEP STATION BEFORE THE FLAME APPEARED THE FLC SMELLED AN ELECTRICAL SHORT OR DISCHARGE TYPE OF ODOR. THE CAPT HAD SEVERAL ITEMS INCLUDING THE RADAR AND THE WINDOW SHIELD HEAT SHUT DOWN FOR A WHILE AND THE ODOR DISSIPATED AND DID NOT RETURN WHEN THE SYS WERE RE-ENERGIZED. THE FO SAID THAT HE THINKS THAT THE ELECTRICAL ODOR MAY HAVE COME FROM SOME OF THE LIGHTNING STRIKES ON THE DEP ARPT JUST BEFORE THEIR DEP. HE SAID THAT THEY COULD SMELL THE OZONE IN THE AIR AS THEY WERE WALKING ON THE RAMP. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE CAPT HAS WRITTEN AN ASRS RPT AND AN ARTICLE FOR THE PLT'S SAFETY BULLETIN DETAILING ALL OF THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED ON THIS FLT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 366789: THE SOURCE OF THIS FLAME IS STILL UNKNOWN EVEN AFTER ENG INSPECTION TO RUN UP. ONE THEORY IS THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY STATIC BUILDUP.

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.