20191219018839I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · West Chester, PA · December 19, 2019

Date: December 19, 2019 · 19:00 local
Place: West Chester, PA
Airport: Brandywine
Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N83993
Reported as: Piper PA-28-161
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours: 417 total356 in this make and model152 in the last 90 days

N83993Registered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-8216007 · Built 1981 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On 12/19/2019, a 1981 PA-28-161, N83993, s/n 28-8216007, experienced an engine fire after the pilot made 3 attempts to start the engine. The pilot and passengers evacuated the aircraft and the pilot extinguished the fire at the exhaust stack and thru the front of the engine with the halon fire extinguisherthat was located in the aircraft. Fire damage to the aircraft exterior was found on the lower engine cowling and damage was noted with black soot/fire residue in the engine compartment, heat damage to the engine scat tubing, and melted plastic spiral wrap and engine fluid line sleeves.

As the FAA filed it

ON 12/19/2019, A 1981 PA-28-161, N83993, S/N 28-8216007, EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FIRE AFTER THE PILOT MADE 3 ATTEMPTS TO START THE ENGINE. THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT AND THE PILOT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AT THE EXHAUST STACK AND THRU THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE WITH THE HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHERTHAT WAS LOCATED IN THE AIRCRAFT. FIRE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT EXTERIOR WAS FOUND ON THE LOWER ENGINE COWLING AND DAMAGE WAS NOTED WITH BLACK SOOT/FIRE RESIDUE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, HEAT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE SCAT TUBING, AND MELTED PLASTIC SPIRAL WRAP AND ENGINE FLUID LINE SLEEVES.