20010616014339A

(.19)On June 16, 2001, at 1230 hours mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N4299Q, was substantially damaged during a ground fire event at Sedona, Arizona. The rented airplane was operated by falcon executive aviation of mesa, Arizona. Neither the private rated pilot nor passenger were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight operating under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91, and no flight plan was filed. The originating flight was destined for falcon field, mesa. The pilot provided the safety board investigator with a written statement. He stated that he and his passenger boarded the airplane after performing a standard preflight inspection. Although the runway was closed due to a disabled airplane, the pilot chose to taxi to the run-up area because he anticipated the disabled airplane would be removed when his run-up was complete. When the pilot completed the before takeoff checklist, the runway was not yet cleared, and he was informed that it would remain closed for about 20-30 minutes. The pilot shut the engine down and waited. When the runway reopened, the pilot started the engine. During start, the pilot heard a pop. He proceeded with the procedure for engine fire during start by continuing to crank the starter. The engine did not start and he saw smoke coming from the cowl. He instructed his passenger to go outside and try to extinguish the fire with a handheld fire extinguisher. The pilot then got out with a second fire extinguisher in an effort to extinguish the fire. About 2 to 3 minutes later, an individual from one of the airport services arrived with a medium sized fire extinguisher. Their efforts to fight the fire were unsuccessful. The fire department arrived 15 minutes later, and by this time, the airplane was completely engulfed in flames.