Private pilot of a piper PA28-161 caught engine on fire during attempting to start the engine in an ...

Narrative:

At about XA00 am on the morning of mar/sat/00, I was preparing to take a flight with 2 friends to kalamazoo. Small aircraft was stored in the round hangar, located behind the northeast t-hangars at ann arbor airport. While my friends waited for me at the FBO at the ann arbor airport, I went to the hangar to start the aircraft. I completed the preflight inspection, including checking the oil, and unplugged the engine block heater. Next, I began the cold start procedure. I primed the engine once, then used the starter for several seconds. The engine turned over, but did not engage. I waited for a brief period, and cranked the starter again for several seconds. Once again, the engine turned over but did not engage. After the second cranking attempt I shut the fuel pump and master switch off, as well as cut the mixture and closed the throttle. I then waited for a few mins. I attempted to start the engine again using the cold start checklist. I primed the engine for the second time, and used the starter again. This time, the engine fired irregularly for a few seconds, then stopped. Without priming again, I cranked the starter, and the engine fired briefly, somewhat longer than the first time, and stopped yet again. I shut down the fuel pump and turned the master switch off, and waited for several mins. For the third and last time, I went through the cold engine starting procedure, including priming the engine. This time the engine never engaged. After this I gave up attempting to start the plane. I turned off the master switch and fuel pump, closed the mixture, and got out of the plane to tell my friends that we would have to wait for the engine to warm up before we could start the plane. As soon as I got out of the plane I saw a small amount of thin white smoke coming out of the engine cowling by the propeller and the carburetor air intake. I quickly got back into the plane and tried to crank the engine with full throttle and the mixture leaned completely. I could see more smoke coming from the cowling, and decided that it was too late to suck the fire back into the engine, and I did not feel safe sitting in a plane with an engine fire. I turned off the master and quickly got out of the plane. There was no fire extinguisher in the round hangar with the plane. I ran about 100 yards back to FBO to get a fire extinguisher. I pulled the extinguisher from the wall and ran back to the plane, during which time I apparently lost one shoe. When I reached the aircraft, it had flames coming out of the air intake cowling. However, the fire extinguisher I had gotten from FBO did not work. It puffed for a brief second and died. I then ran to the city maintenance building, which was actually closer, although I did not think it likely that it would be open at that time on saturday morning. However, the front door was open, and I got their extinguisher. I ran back to the round hangar, and managed to put out the fire.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF A PIPER PA28-161 CAUGHT ENG ON FIRE DURING ATTEMPTING TO START THE ENG IN AN OPEN HANGAR EARLY IN THE MORNING. RPTR USED COLD WX STARTING PROCS AND SUBSEQUENTLY EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE.

Narrative: AT ABOUT XA00 AM ON THE MORNING OF MAR/SAT/00, I WAS PREPARING TO TAKE A FLT WITH 2 FRIENDS TO KALAMAZOO. SMA WAS STORED IN THE ROUND HANGAR, LOCATED BEHIND THE NE T-HANGARS AT ANN ARBOR ARPT. WHILE MY FRIENDS WAITED FOR ME AT THE FBO AT THE ANN ARBOR ARPT, I WENT TO THE HANGAR TO START THE ACFT. I COMPLETED THE PREFLT INSPECTION, INCLUDING CHKING THE OIL, AND UNPLUGGED THE ENG BLOCK HEATER. NEXT, I BEGAN THE COLD START PROC. I PRIMED THE ENG ONCE, THEN USED THE STARTER FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. THE ENG TURNED OVER, BUT DID NOT ENGAGE. I WAITED FOR A BRIEF PERIOD, AND CRANKED THE STARTER AGAIN FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. ONCE AGAIN, THE ENG TURNED OVER BUT DID NOT ENGAGE. AFTER THE SECOND CRANKING ATTEMPT I SHUT THE FUEL PUMP AND MASTER SWITCH OFF, AS WELL AS CUT THE MIXTURE AND CLOSED THE THROTTLE. I THEN WAITED FOR A FEW MINS. I ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENG AGAIN USING THE COLD START CHKLIST. I PRIMED THE ENG FOR THE SECOND TIME, AND USED THE STARTER AGAIN. THIS TIME, THE ENG FIRED IRREGULARLY FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN STOPPED. WITHOUT PRIMING AGAIN, I CRANKED THE STARTER, AND THE ENG FIRED BRIEFLY, SOMEWHAT LONGER THAN THE FIRST TIME, AND STOPPED YET AGAIN. I SHUT DOWN THE FUEL PUMP AND TURNED THE MASTER SWITCH OFF, AND WAITED FOR SEVERAL MINS. FOR THE THIRD AND LAST TIME, I WENT THROUGH THE COLD ENG STARTING PROC, INCLUDING PRIMING THE ENG. THIS TIME THE ENG NEVER ENGAGED. AFTER THIS I GAVE UP ATTEMPTING TO START THE PLANE. I TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH AND FUEL PUMP, CLOSED THE MIXTURE, AND GOT OUT OF THE PLANE TO TELL MY FRIENDS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE ENG TO WARM UP BEFORE WE COULD START THE PLANE. AS SOON AS I GOT OUT OF THE PLANE I SAW A SMALL AMOUNT OF THIN WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE ENG COWLING BY THE PROP AND THE CARB AIR INTAKE. I QUICKLY GOT BACK INTO THE PLANE AND TRIED TO CRANK THE ENG WITH FULL THROTTLE AND THE MIXTURE LEANED COMPLETELY. I COULD SEE MORE SMOKE COMING FROM THE COWLING, AND DECIDED THAT IT WAS TOO LATE TO SUCK THE FIRE BACK INTO THE ENG, AND I DID NOT FEEL SAFE SITTING IN A PLANE WITH AN ENG FIRE. I TURNED OFF THE MASTER AND QUICKLY GOT OUT OF THE PLANE. THERE WAS NO FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN THE ROUND HANGAR WITH THE PLANE. I RAN ABOUT 100 YARDS BACK TO FBO TO GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. I PULLED THE EXTINGUISHER FROM THE WALL AND RAN BACK TO THE PLANE, DURING WHICH TIME I APPARENTLY LOST ONE SHOE. WHEN I REACHED THE ACFT, IT HAD FLAMES COMING OUT OF THE AIR INTAKE COWLING. HOWEVER, THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER I HAD GOTTEN FROM FBO DID NOT WORK. IT PUFFED FOR A BRIEF SECOND AND DIED. I THEN RAN TO THE CITY MAINT BUILDING, WHICH WAS ACTUALLY CLOSER, ALTHOUGH I DID NOT THINK IT LIKELY THAT IT WOULD BE OPEN AT THAT TIME ON SATURDAY MORNING. HOWEVER, THE FRONT DOOR WAS OPEN, AND I GOT THEIR EXTINGUISHER. I RAN BACK TO THE ROUND HANGAR, AND MANAGED TO PUT OUT THE FIRE.

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.

Attributes
ACN	467343
Time
Date	200003
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : arb.airport
State Reference	MI
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	PA-28 Cherokee/Archer II/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : preflight ground : parked
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 40 flight time total : 92 flight time type : 92
ASRS Report	467343
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : engine other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Private pilot of a piper PA28-161 caught engine on fire during attempting to start the engine in an open hangar early in the morning. Reporter used cold WX starting procedures and subsequently extinguished the fire.