# Incident 20140404005039I: Piper Aircraft Inc PA-28-161, Melbourne, FL, April 4, 2014

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 4, 2014, 10:09 local time
- Place: Melbourne, FL
- Airport: Melbourne
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Location: 28.1025° N, 80.6450° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.1025&lon=-80.6450&mi=10
- Aircraft: N642FT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N642FT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102834, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (registry code 42156, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-320-d3g) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-28-161
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-320
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 570 total, 260 in this make and model, 141 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA14LA268](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14LA268) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140404005039I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

A PIPER PA-28-161 AIRCRAFT ASSIGNED TO FIT ENCOUNTERED AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE AFTER LANDING. THE CREW REPORTED THAT ON ROLL OUT THE ENGINE STALLED. THEY ATTEMPTED A RESTART USING NORMAL CHECKLIST PROCEDURES WITHOUT SUCCESS AND THEN TRIED USING HOT ENGINE START PROCEDURES AGAIN WITHOUT SUCCESS AND NOW OBSERVED SMOKE. THE CREW STATED THEY COMPLETED THE ENGINE FIRE DURING START CHECKLIST HOWEVER IT DID NOT SUCCESSFULLY EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE, ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND COWLINGS, EXTENDING TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE, ANTENNA, NOSE GEAR STRUT AND POSSIBLY SOME WINDSHIELD DEFORMATIONS BUT, CANNOT BE SUBSTANTIATED. ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE FIREWALL SHOWS SIGNIFICANT SCORCHING AND DISCOLORATION DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY BREACH WITHIN ITS INTEGRITY. THE NTSB HAS DETERMINED THIS FIRE AN INCIDENT AND NO FURTHER ACTION WITHIN THEIR AGENCY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA14LA268](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14LA268), Apr 4, 2014: Piper PA-28-161 (N642FT), Melbourne, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The flight instructor’s overpriming of the engine during multiple unsuccessful engine start attempts on an active runway, which resulted in an engine compartment fire.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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