Narrative:

On downwind cleared for visual to runway 7 at tol I saw a flicker on the annunciator panel and asked the first officer if he saw it he said no. Approach handed us over to tower. Saw another flicker of red on the annunciator panel and noted the area on the annunciator panel. I pressed to test the annunciator panel and thought it might have been the right engine fire light. We verified engine instruments normal and inspected visually outside. Nothing was noted. Discussed engine shutdown option but weren't 100 percent sure it was the right engine fire light. Requested direct to tol. Crash fire rescue equipment was requested for precaution. Tower asked if we wanted runway 16 but a normal approach could not be made. On angling final to runway 7 light flickered and it was the right engine fire light definitely. Other subpanel light was not illuminated we suspected indication problem. Notified tower of indication problem and said we would shutdown the engine upon landing. On touchdown, light flickered we taxied clear right engine was shut down normally and QRH engine fire ground checklist was read and pertinent items were accomplished except hydraulic shutoff and fuel shutoff. First officer noted crash fire rescue equipment give a thumbs up and taxied to the gate on 1 engine. The reason for not shutting the engine down in flight was because the light was an intermittent flicker and no other indications of a fire were noted. When we were 100 percent sure which light on the panel flickered, we suspected a detection problem since the other fire light was not illuminated. Engine was shut down on the ground as a precaution the fire light was not flickering or illuminated. The cause of the light was determined to be chafed insulation on the fire detector grounding to the aircraft causing the light to flicker probably during turbulence. Our company manuals definition of a engine fire is an engine fire light illumination and/or visual cues of a fire (flames, smoke) with a flickering light that does not stay steady and just flashed the wrong engine could be shut down with the close proximity of the lights on the annunciator panel. By definition in our company manual, a flicker could be considered an illumination of the light.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HAD A FLICKERING FIRE WARNING LIGHT FOR THE R ENG WHILE IN THE TFC PATTERN AT TOL.

Narrative: ON DOWNWIND CLRED FOR VISUAL TO RWY 7 AT TOL I SAW A FLICKER ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL AND ASKED THE FO IF HE SAW IT HE SAID NO. APCH HANDED US OVER TO TWR. SAW ANOTHER FLICKER OF RED ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL AND NOTED THE AREA ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL. I PRESSED TO TEST THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL AND THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE R ENG FIRE LIGHT. WE VERIFIED ENG INSTS NORMAL AND INSPECTED VISUALLY OUTSIDE. NOTHING WAS NOTED. DISCUSSED ENG SHUTDOWN OPTION BUT WEREN'T 100 PERCENT SURE IT WAS THE R ENG FIRE LIGHT. REQUESTED DIRECT TO TOL. CFR WAS REQUESTED FOR PRECAUTION. TWR ASKED IF WE WANTED RWY 16 BUT A NORMAL APCH COULD NOT BE MADE. ON ANGLING FINAL TO RWY 7 LIGHT FLICKERED AND IT WAS THE R ENG FIRE LIGHT DEFINITELY. OTHER SUBPANEL LIGHT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED WE SUSPECTED INDICATION PROB. NOTIFIED TWR OF INDICATION PROB AND SAID WE WOULD SHUTDOWN THE ENG UPON LNDG. ON TOUCHDOWN, LIGHT FLICKERED WE TAXIED CLR R ENG WAS SHUT DOWN NORMALLY AND QRH ENG FIRE GND CHKLIST WAS READ AND PERTINENT ITEMS WERE ACCOMPLISHED EXCEPT HYD SHUTOFF AND FUEL SHUTOFF. FO NOTED CFR GIVE A THUMBS UP AND TAXIED TO THE GATE ON 1 ENG. THE REASON FOR NOT SHUTTING THE ENG DOWN IN FLT WAS BECAUSE THE LIGHT WAS AN INTERMITTENT FLICKER AND NO OTHER INDICATIONS OF A FIRE WERE NOTED. WHEN WE WERE 100 PERCENT SURE WHICH LIGHT ON THE PANEL FLICKERED, WE SUSPECTED A DETECTION PROB SINCE THE OTHER FIRE LIGHT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED. ENG WAS SHUT DOWN ON THE GND AS A PRECAUTION THE FIRE LIGHT WAS NOT FLICKERING OR ILLUMINATED. THE CAUSE OF THE LIGHT WAS DETERMINED TO BE CHAFED INSULATION ON THE FIRE DETECTOR GNDING TO THE ACFT CAUSING THE LIGHT TO FLICKER PROBABLY DURING TURB. OUR COMPANY MANUALS DEFINITION OF A ENG FIRE IS AN ENG FIRE LIGHT ILLUMINATION AND/OR VISUAL CUES OF A FIRE (FLAMES, SMOKE) WITH A FLICKERING LIGHT THAT DOES NOT STAY STEADY AND JUST FLASHED THE WRONG ENG COULD BE SHUT DOWN WITH THE CLOSE PROX OF THE LIGHTS ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL. BY DEFINITION IN OUR COMPANY MANUAL, A FLICKER COULD BE CONSIDERED AN ILLUMINATION OF THE LIGHT.

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.