Narrative:

Medium large transport had 2 MEL's already. Fwd airstair inoperative and 1 engine fire detector loop. En route to msy right air conditioning supply temperature high light illuminated. Light extinguished after I turned the right hp bleed off. Notified my maintenance center in chicago who arranged for contract maintenance to check out the problem. About 15 mins after refueling I had a fuel spill out the right wing vent. A check valve had unseated allowing the center fuel pumps to pump fuel into the left tank. Planned load was 9000/5500/9000. Gauge read 9600/4500/9000. Called msy FD to wash fuel spill and secured electrical power from aircraft. 3 passenger who were denied boarding for causing a disturbance at the gate walked down the jetway and had to be removed by msy policy. Following a maintenance run up of right engine to check aircraft high temperature light, we boarded the aircraft. Contract ramp personnel did not utilize a headset during pushback but relied on hand signals. Our company procedure during pushback starts is for the first officer to flow, read and respond to the engine start checklist and the captain to coordinate the pushback. The first officer inadvertently reached up and moved the emergency lights from 'arm' to 'on', instead of putting the ignition switch to 'ground start and continuous'. Both switches are the same size and shape and are located about 4' apart. At 20% N2 he reported no ignition (light off). I saw the ignition switch was off. Now I saw the emergency lights were on. I told him to abort the start and motor the starter to clear the engine. The fuel lever was off after he aborted the start. I told him to start the left engine and we would start the right after indications stabilized. At this point I noticed the ground crew waving, but could not interpret any clear signals. Finally, I understood their intention, but was not quite sure what engine had the problem. One of the ramp personnel called ground control to report a small fuel fire in the #2 engine exhaust (pooled fuel). I immediately motored the #2 engine for 20 seconds. I opened the cockpit window and told the ground crew to tow the aircraft back to the gate. Since the airstairs were inoperative. After briefing the F/a's they told the passenger to deplane and wait in the boarding area. Maintenance inspected the aircraft and returned it to service. There was a definite problem in communication during pushback west/O a headset for the ground crew. The hot exhaust stack from the previous maintenance run of the #2 engine apparently ignited the pooled fuel.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG ENGINE TAILPIPE FIRE DURING PUSHBACK AND ENGINE START. FO TURNED ON EMERGENCY LIGHTS INSTEAD OF THE ENGINE IGNITION. FUEL WAS INTRODUCED INTO A HOT TAILPIPE AND STARTED TO BURN.

Narrative: MLG HAD 2 MEL'S ALREADY. FWD AIRSTAIR INOP AND 1 ENG FIRE DETECTOR LOOP. ENRTE TO MSY RIGHT AIR CONDITIONING SUPPLY TEMP HIGH LIGHT ILLUMINATED. LIGHT EXTINGUISHED AFTER I TURNED THE RIGHT HP BLEED OFF. NOTIFIED MY MAINT CENTER IN CHICAGO WHO ARRANGED FOR CONTRACT MAINT TO CHK OUT THE PROB. ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER REFUELING I HAD A FUEL SPILL OUT THE RIGHT WING VENT. A CHECK VALVE HAD UNSEATED ALLOWING THE CENTER FUEL PUMPS TO PUMP FUEL INTO THE LEFT TANK. PLANNED LOAD WAS 9000/5500/9000. GAUGE READ 9600/4500/9000. CALLED MSY FD TO WASH FUEL SPILL AND SECURED ELECTRICAL PWR FROM ACFT. 3 PAX WHO WERE DENIED BOARDING FOR CAUSING A DISTURBANCE AT THE GATE WALKED DOWN THE JETWAY AND HAD TO BE REMOVED BY MSY POLICY. FOLLOWING A MAINT RUN UP OF RIGHT ENG TO CHK ACFT HIGH TEMP LIGHT, WE BOARDED THE ACFT. CONTRACT RAMP PERSONNEL DID NOT UTILIZE A HEADSET DURING PUSHBACK BUT RELIED ON HAND SIGNALS. OUR COMPANY PROC DURING PUSHBACK STARTS IS FOR THE F/O TO FLOW, READ AND RESPOND TO THE ENG START CHKLIST AND THE CAPT TO COORDINATE THE PUSHBACK. THE F/O INADVERTENTLY REACHED UP AND MOVED THE EMER LIGHTS FROM 'ARM' TO 'ON', INSTEAD OF PUTTING THE IGNITION SWITCH TO 'GND START AND CONTINUOUS'. BOTH SWITCHES ARE THE SAME SIZE AND SHAPE AND ARE LOCATED ABOUT 4' APART. AT 20% N2 HE RPTED NO IGNITION (LIGHT OFF). I SAW THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS OFF. NOW I SAW THE EMER LIGHTS WERE ON. I TOLD HIM TO ABORT THE START AND MOTOR THE STARTER TO CLEAR THE ENG. THE FUEL LEVER WAS OFF AFTER HE ABORTED THE START. I TOLD HIM TO START THE LEFT ENG AND WE WOULD START THE RIGHT AFTER INDICATIONS STABILIZED. AT THIS POINT I NOTICED THE GND CREW WAVING, BUT COULD NOT INTERPRET ANY CLEAR SIGNALS. FINALLY, I UNDERSTOOD THEIR INTENTION, BUT WAS NOT QUITE SURE WHAT ENG HAD THE PROB. ONE OF THE RAMP PERSONNEL CALLED GND CTL TO RPT A SMALL FUEL FIRE IN THE #2 ENG EXHAUST (POOLED FUEL). I IMMEDIATELY MOTORED THE #2 ENG FOR 20 SECS. I OPENED THE COCKPIT WINDOW AND TOLD THE GND CREW TO TOW THE ACFT BACK TO THE GATE. SINCE THE AIRSTAIRS WERE INOP. AFTER BRIEFING THE F/A'S THEY TOLD THE PAX TO DEPLANE AND WAIT IN THE BOARDING AREA. MAINT INSPECTED THE ACFT AND RETURNED IT TO SVC. THERE WAS A DEFINITE PROB IN COM DURING PUSHBACK W/O A HEADSET FOR THE GND CREW. THE HOT EXHAUST STACK FROM THE PREVIOUS MAINT RUN OF THE #2 ENG APPARENTLY IGNITED THE POOLED FUEL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.