The pilot and his passenger prepared for a night flight from the airport in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, in the flying club’s Piper PA-28 to maintain the pilot’s currency.
He tried to start the engine three times, priming the engine a total of 11 times, and “pumping” the throttle during one attempt, but it did not start.
Concerned that he may have flooded the engine, he waited five minutes before attempting another start with full throttle and mixture at idle/cutoff.
After this attempt, the passenger noted smoke and he realized that the engine was on fire.
He told his passenger to get out of the airplane and attempted to extinguish the fire with the onboard fire extinguisher. However, the fire substantially damaged the airplane’s fuselage, engine mounts, and firewall.
The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the airplane suggested priming one to three times before engine start.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s flooding the engine with fuel during a cold engine start, which resulted in an engine fire.
NTSB Identification: 106640
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This January 2023 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
