Narrative:

Aircraft experienced a fire in the east and east compartment. The static inverter, along with both transformer rectifiers units and the battery charger were smoking when removed from the aircraft. There were metal shavings underneath all the trays of these removed components. There was soot on the insulation blankets, as well as the wire bundle above the E3-1 rack, and the canopy barrier above the east and east rack was smoldering and had to be cut away to extinguish the fire. The entire interior of the airplane filled with smoke during this episode. In flight this would have resulted in complete loss of all electrical power and a plane filled with smoke. The cooling holes under the static inverter were found plugged apparently from the factory. This unit had been installed from the factory since 91 without incident. The main concern is the large amount of aluminum shavings found on the racks and photographed by the company, the type of long burn and high heat suggests a dead short from FOD and not a minor overheat condition as the company insists is the case. The company will not pursue this matter further after I have expressed my concerns and yet I feel the rest of the fleet isn't airworthy but I don't have the vehicle to force an inspection. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated this aircraft had just come out of a heavy maintenance check and was parked on the line for delivery to the gate. This reporter said the fire was caused by aluminum drill shavings passing into the cooling holes in the static inverter, both transformer rectifiers and the battery charger electrically shorting out these units. The reporter stated the overhead canopy barrier is normally removed during a heavy maintenance check and this allowed drill shavings to fall on the component shelves or drop directly into the units not removed. The reporter said there are procedures for cleaning the wire bundles and compartment shelves after maintenance but are ignored when the check time runs out and the airplane is scheduled. The reporter stated a technician that would write a card to accomplish the required clean up procedure by cutting the wire bundle ties, separating wires and removing units for vacuuming would be inviting a meeting with the director of maintenance. The reporter said the problem is the clean up is not accomplished immediately after the work is performed. The reporter said the job card used for the clean up was signed off by the director of maintenance and the airplane was pushed out.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 WHILE PARKED AT A MAINT FACILITY WITH EXTERNAL POWER EXPERIENCED A FIRE IN THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS COMPARTMENT.

Narrative: ACFT EXPERIENCED A FIRE IN THE E AND E COMPARTMENT. THE STATIC INVERTER, ALONG WITH BOTH TRANSFORMER RECTIFIERS UNITS AND THE BATTERY CHARGER WERE SMOKING WHEN REMOVED FROM THE ACFT. THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS UNDERNEATH ALL THE TRAYS OF THESE REMOVED COMPONENTS. THERE WAS SOOT ON THE INSULATION BLANKETS, AS WELL AS THE WIRE BUNDLE ABOVE THE E3-1 RACK, AND THE CANOPY BARRIER ABOVE THE E AND E RACK WAS SMOLDERING AND HAD TO BE CUT AWAY TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE ENTIRE INTERIOR OF THE AIRPLANE FILLED WITH SMOKE DURING THIS EPISODE. IN FLT THIS WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL POWER AND A PLANE FILLED WITH SMOKE. THE COOLING HOLES UNDER THE STATIC INVERTER WERE FOUND PLUGGED APPARENTLY FROM THE FACTORY. THIS UNIT HAD BEEN INSTALLED FROM THE FACTORY SINCE 91 WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE MAIN CONCERN IS THE LARGE AMOUNT OF ALUMINUM SHAVINGS FOUND ON THE RACKS AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE COMPANY, THE TYPE OF LONG BURN AND HIGH HEAT SUGGESTS A DEAD SHORT FROM FOD AND NOT A MINOR OVERHEAT CONDITION AS THE COMPANY INSISTS IS THE CASE. THE COMPANY WILL NOT PURSUE THIS MATTER FURTHER AFTER I HAVE EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS AND YET I FEEL THE REST OF THE FLEET ISN'T AIRWORTHY BUT I DON'T HAVE THE VEHICLE TO FORCE AN INSPECTION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THIS ACFT HAD JUST COME OUT OF A HEAVY MAINT CHK AND WAS PARKED ON THE LINE FOR DELIVERY TO THE GATE. THIS RPTR SAID THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY ALUMINUM DRILL SHAVINGS PASSING INTO THE COOLING HOLES IN THE STATIC INVERTER, BOTH TRANSFORMER RECTIFIERS AND THE BATTERY CHARGER ELECTRICALLY SHORTING OUT THESE UNITS. THE RPTR STATED THE OVERHEAD CANOPY BARRIER IS NORMALLY REMOVED DURING A HEAVY MAINT CHK AND THIS ALLOWED DRILL SHAVINGS TO FALL ON THE COMPONENT SHELVES OR DROP DIRECTLY INTO THE UNITS NOT REMOVED. THE RPTR SAID THERE ARE PROCS FOR CLEANING THE WIRE BUNDLES AND COMPARTMENT SHELVES AFTER MAINT BUT ARE IGNORED WHEN THE CHECK TIME RUNS OUT AND THE AIRPLANE IS SCHEDULED. THE RPTR STATED A TECHNICIAN THAT WOULD WRITE A CARD TO ACCOMPLISH THE REQUIRED CLEAN UP PROC BY CUTTING THE WIRE BUNDLE TIES, SEPARATING WIRES AND REMOVING UNITS FOR VACUUMING WOULD BE INVITING A MEETING WITH THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT. THE RPTR SAID THE PROB IS THE CLEAN UP IS NOT ACCOMPLISHED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE WORK IS PERFORMED. THE RPTR SAID THE JOB CARD USED FOR THE CLEAN UP WAS SIGNED OFF BY THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT AND THE AIRPLANE WAS PUSHED OUT.

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.