Narrative:

I was captain of an EMB120 brasilia operated by xyz airlines on a scheduled flight from dfw airport to lft, la. We had an uneventful flight from dfw to lft (flight time approximately 1 hour 20 mins). While passenger were deplaning at lft, 1 man told the flight attendant 'tell the pilot he had an engine fire on takeoff from dfw.' when the first officer completed his walkaround inspection he told me to come and look at the tailpipe on #1 engine. When I inspected the engine I saw substantial fire damage to the tailpipe. A 3 inch wide hole had been burned from about the 3 O'clock position to the 9 O'clock position looking forward into the tailpipe. Fire had burned through the insulating blanket which is wrapped around the tailpipe and had melted a hole 1 inch wide by 12 inches long into the hydraulic reservoir compartment below. The tailpipe had several other large holes burned into it. All fire damage was about 1 inch aft of the fire detector that encircles the tailpipe. A company mechanic found a small fuel leak on top of the left wing outboard of the engine and fuel looked like it was leaking into the tailpipe area. I don't know when this fire started or how long it burned but we never got any fire warnings and all engine parameters were normal. The reason for this report is to see if this is becoming a problem specific to the EMB120. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter said that to his knowledge this is the third occurrence of this type on this equipment -- once before, about 3-4 yrs ago on his carrier and 1 some other time on another air carrier. The previous one 3-4 yrs ago, the tower advised the crew of the tailpipe fire. On this one, the captain could not at all fathom why the passenger failed to call this fire to anyone's attention. He further stated that the leak occurred about 5 ft outboard of that #1 engine. The mechanic who was deadheaded into lft that night to inspect the aircraft was attempting to remove part of the cowling. He had not noted the fuel leak and only found it when he noted that the wing was very slippery and offered poor footing. Apparently the leak came from a popped rivet. The wing is too high to see this condition without the use of a ladder so a preflight or postflt inspection would have to take that fact into consideration. From the damage inflicted the captain estimated the fire had to have been burning at least 20 mins. He again noted the problem of the fire detector forward of where the fire occurred. The aircraft had the tailpipe replaced and it was ferried to their major maintenance base and is still there so far as he knows. He has turned in a copy of this incident to his company but doesn't know what they are doing about it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMB120 BRASILIA EXPERIENCES A TAILPIPE FIRE AFTER TKOF FROM DFW. THE FIRE DETECTION SYS DOES NOT DETECT THIS CONDITION BUT A PAX DOES NOTE IT. HE FAILS TO TELL THE CREW UNTIL LNDG AT LFT, LA, 1 HR 20 MINS LATER.

Narrative: I WAS CAPT OF AN EMB120 BRASILIA OPERATED BY XYZ AIRLINES ON A SCHEDULED FLT FROM DFW ARPT TO LFT, LA. WE HAD AN UNEVENTFUL FLT FROM DFW TO LFT (FLT TIME APPROX 1 HR 20 MINS). WHILE PAX WERE DEPLANING AT LFT, 1 MAN TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANT 'TELL THE PLT HE HAD AN ENG FIRE ON TKOF FROM DFW.' WHEN THE FO COMPLETED HIS WALKAROUND INSPECTION HE TOLD ME TO COME AND LOOK AT THE TAILPIPE ON #1 ENG. WHEN I INSPECTED THE ENG I SAW SUBSTANTIAL FIRE DAMAGE TO THE TAILPIPE. A 3 INCH WIDE HOLE HAD BEEN BURNED FROM ABOUT THE 3 O'CLOCK POS TO THE 9 O'CLOCK POS LOOKING FORWARD INTO THE TAILPIPE. FIRE HAD BURNED THROUGH THE INSULATING BLANKET WHICH IS WRAPPED AROUND THE TAILPIPE AND HAD MELTED A HOLE 1 INCH WIDE BY 12 INCHES LONG INTO THE HYD RESERVOIR COMPARTMENT BELOW. THE TAILPIPE HAD SEVERAL OTHER LARGE HOLES BURNED INTO IT. ALL FIRE DAMAGE WAS ABOUT 1 INCH AFT OF THE FIRE DETECTOR THAT ENCIRCLES THE TAILPIPE. A COMPANY MECH FOUND A SMALL FUEL LEAK ON TOP OF THE L WING OUTBOARD OF THE ENG AND FUEL LOOKED LIKE IT WAS LEAKING INTO THE TAILPIPE AREA. I DON'T KNOW WHEN THIS FIRE STARTED OR HOW LONG IT BURNED BUT WE NEVER GOT ANY FIRE WARNINGS AND ALL ENG PARAMETERS WERE NORMAL. THE REASON FOR THIS RPT IS TO SEE IF THIS IS BECOMING A PROB SPECIFIC TO THE EMB120. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAID THAT TO HIS KNOWLEDGE THIS IS THE THIRD OCCURRENCE OF THIS TYPE ON THIS EQUIP -- ONCE BEFORE, ABOUT 3-4 YRS AGO ON HIS CARRIER AND 1 SOME OTHER TIME ON ANOTHER ACR. THE PREVIOUS ONE 3-4 YRS AGO, THE TWR ADVISED THE CREW OF THE TAILPIPE FIRE. ON THIS ONE, THE CAPT COULD NOT AT ALL FATHOM WHY THE PAX FAILED TO CALL THIS FIRE TO ANYONE'S ATTN. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE LEAK OCCURRED ABOUT 5 FT OUTBOARD OF THAT #1 ENG. THE MECH WHO WAS DEADHEADED INTO LFT THAT NIGHT TO INSPECT THE ACFT WAS ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE PART OF THE COWLING. HE HAD NOT NOTED THE FUEL LEAK AND ONLY FOUND IT WHEN HE NOTED THAT THE WING WAS VERY SLIPPERY AND OFFERED POOR FOOTING. APPARENTLY THE LEAK CAME FROM A POPPED RIVET. THE WING IS TOO HIGH TO SEE THIS CONDITION WITHOUT THE USE OF A LADDER SO A PREFLT OR POSTFLT INSPECTION WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THAT FACT INTO CONSIDERATION. FROM THE DAMAGE INFLICTED THE CAPT ESTIMATED THE FIRE HAD TO HAVE BEEN BURNING AT LEAST 20 MINS. HE AGAIN NOTED THE PROB OF THE FIRE DETECTOR FORWARD OF WHERE THE FIRE OCCURRED. THE ACFT HAD THE TAILPIPE REPLACED AND IT WAS FERRIED TO THEIR MAJOR MAINT BASE AND IS STILL THERE SO FAR AS HE KNOWS. HE HAS TURNED IN A COPY OF THIS INCIDENT TO HIS COMPANY BUT DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING ABOUT IT.

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.