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Non crew coordinated engine start resulted in stack torching. Fire went out. Aircraft towed back to gate for maintenance inspection. Next out normal starts and flight continued.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 197348 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199112 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : cle |
| State Reference | OH |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng |
| Flight Phase | ground : parked ground other : taxi |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 240 flight time total : 12000 flight time type : 1500 |
| ASRS Report | 197348 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial pilot : cfi |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 230 flight time total : 4000 flight time type : 2000 |
| ASRS Report | 197042 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : overcame equipment problem other |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
Ground return -- no emergency declared. A small tailpipe fire was reported by the pushback crew during start of left engine. After motoring the engine, the fire was extinguished, however, as a precaution, a fire truck applied some extinguishing agent. Maintenance performed a tailpipe inspection and determined there was no damage. The situation developed as a result of 2 'bonehead' mistakes on the part of the captain during the engine start procedure: an ignition switch left in the 'off' position, and an initially incorrect fuel clearing procedure. An aggravating circumstance was that the first officer was not monitoring the start and was receiving weight and balance information over the radio. Remedies consisted of a review and discussion of proper coordination, procedures, and discipline in the cockpit during the pushback/engine start period, and a review of engine start abnormals.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: NON CREW COORDINATED ENG START RESULTED IN STACK TORCHING. FIRE WENT OUT. ACFT TOWED BACK TO GATE FOR MAINT INSPECTION. NEXT OUT NORMAL STARTS AND FLT CONTINUED.
Narrative: GND RETURN -- NO EMER DECLARED. A SMALL TAILPIPE FIRE WAS RPTED BY THE PUSHBACK CREW DURING START OF L ENG. AFTER MOTORING THE ENG, THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED, HOWEVER, AS A PRECAUTION, A FIRE TRUCK APPLIED SOME EXTINGUISHING AGENT. MAINT PERFORMED A TAILPIPE INSPECTION AND DETERMINED THERE WAS NO DAMAGE. THE SITUATION DEVELOPED AS A RESULT OF 2 'BONEHEAD' MISTAKES ON THE PART OF THE CAPT DURING THE ENG START PROC: AN IGNITION SWITCH LEFT IN THE 'OFF' POS, AND AN INITIALLY INCORRECT FUEL CLRING PROC. AN AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCE WAS THAT THE FO WAS NOT MONITORING THE START AND WAS RECEIVING WT AND BAL INFO OVER THE RADIO. REMEDIES CONSISTED OF A REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF PROPER COORD, PROCS, AND DISCIPLINE IN THE COCKPIT DURING THE PUSHBACK/ENG START PERIOD, AND A REVIEW OF ENG START ABNORMALS.
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.