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Upon receipt of intermittent fire warning indications from the left engine; a DA42 instructor pilot declared an emergency; complied with the associated checklists; and diverted to a nearby airport. Subsequent maintenance inspection determined the warning was triggered by a moisture initiated short circuit in the fire detection system.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 977188 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201110 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201-1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | DA42 Twin Star |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Descent |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Powerplant Fire/Overheat Warning |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Instructor |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP) Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Flight Instructor |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 45 Flight Crew Total 17220 Flight Crew Type 123 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical |
Narrative:
We were conducting IFR training with an FAA air safety inspector as the trainee and a second asi observing from the back seat. We were holding at 4;000 ft in the clouds and moderate rain when the 'left engine fire' warning began to activate intermittently.I took the controls from the asi; declared an emergency with ATC; asked for vectors to a nearby airport and for a descent into visual conditions. During the vector we completed the engine fire and engine shutdown checklists. Both asi's participated actively in the timely and correct execution of these procedures. When we descended below the ceiling I conducted a visual approach and single engine landing to the runway. The landing was normal for the configuration and I taxied clear of the runway onto the taxiway. Once on the taxiway; I was unable to maintain directional control at taxi speeds and so stopped; shut down the right engine; and waited for a tow to parking.examination of the left engine by an amt revealed that there had been no engine fire. The fire indication was the result of water causing a short circuit in the fire detection system. Repairs were made and the aircraft was flown to its home base later that day.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: Upon receipt of intermittent fire warning indications from the left engine; a DA42 Instructor pilot declared an emergency; complied with the associated checklists; and diverted to a nearby airport. Subsequent maintenance inspection determined the warning was triggered by a moisture initiated short circuit in the fire detection system.
Narrative: We were conducting IFR training with an FAA Air Safety Inspector as the trainee and a second ASI observing from the back seat. We were holding at 4;000 FT in the clouds and moderate rain when the 'Left Engine Fire' warning began to activate intermittently.I took the controls from the ASI; declared an emergency with ATC; asked for vectors to a nearby airport and for a descent into visual conditions. During the vector we completed the Engine Fire and Engine Shutdown checklists. Both ASI's participated actively in the timely and correct execution of these procedures. When we descended below the ceiling I conducted a visual approach and single engine landing to the runway. The landing was normal for the configuration and I taxied clear of the runway onto the taxiway. Once on the taxiway; I was unable to maintain directional control at taxi speeds and so stopped; shut down the right engine; and waited for a tow to parking.Examination of the left engine by an AMT revealed that there had been no engine fire. The fire indication was the result of water causing a short circuit in the fire detection system. Repairs were made and the aircraft was flown to its home base later that day.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.