Engire Fire.

[Capt Wannabee]

Can someone clear this up for me?

While doing my PPl my instructor left (to go commercial) about 3/4 of the way through my course. Before leaving and while doing PFL's he told me that if you have an engine fire then you get down A.S.A.P! He said fuel off, full flap and side-slip to try and blow the flames out and also get on the ground quick. Once flames had died out then go into normal engine failure drills (without restart) / committed checks and land.
The instructor who picked it up when he left said if you have an engire fire you just carry on as if an engine failure - (apart from cut off fuel straight away and no restart attempt) turn downwind, trim best glide speed, pick landing spot etc etc.
His reckoning was the firewall would hold and no need to rush down and reduce landing spots available and only to sideslip if the flames were obstructing vision.
I know that you have to use common sense and there is no fixed rule for every situation. If the aircraft is well ablaze I would come down like a brick - likewise if it was a small fire or it went out when the fuel had been cut off I would be more selective in my choice of landing places.

What I was really wondering what other people taught or had been taught as both instructors were very experienced pilots (Both ATPL's) but with slightly different methods.
Do fires usually extinguish once the fuel has been cut off or do you need a rapid decent to put it out?
Happy thread I know but thought it would be good to discuss.

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Is that supposed to happen....??

[This message has been edited by Capt Wannabee (edited 11 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Capt Wannabee (edited 11 April 2001).]

[Meatbomber]

Well from my experience with light A/C (not on fire that is but looking at the firewalls, i'd DEFINITELY try to get to the ground A.S.A.P !

Hardly ever an undercowl fire will stay there without burning back along the fuselage.. plus your feet are only a few inches away from the firewall...


One point i've been tought for teh firedrill was:

Fuel Selector .... CLOSED
THROTTLE.......... Full Power
(to burn away any remaining fuel in the lines / filter etc.)

and then securing the engine with the usual steps.

Meatbomber
Who crosses fingers to never ever see flames coming out of a cowl

[GJB]

Too many things to burn on a plane (PILOTS INCLUDED!) Maybe the firewall would hold, but the fuel lines, hoses, rubber, oil etc etc wouldn't.

I'd want to get down and put down as soon as possible.

Full flaps and side-slip at VFE.

[Capt Wannabee]

My thinking if i ever noticed flames would be Ground NOW OUT! Unless I had a parachute then it may not be in that order.

I was wondering though if there are really no nice spots to land have you got time to look as will the fire go out or is it likely to keep burning?

[NORDIC]

If an engine fire occurs, there should be no hesitation to get down as quickly as possible. The posts above are correct and good practice.

Once you have stopped the fuel supply, and tried to get any fuel out of the lines as described above, ensure :
Fuel Selector OFF
Throttle CLOSED
Mixture CLOSED
Fuel Pump OFF
Magnetos OFF
Try and close your vents, switch off the defroster and cabin heater.

If the fire goes out, then proceed as for a normal forced landing.
If the fire does not go out, Flaps fully down, pitch down in the sideslip for VFE, to carry out the emergency descent. If the fire goes out, revert to a normal forced landing, at the bottom of the emergency descent (before level out) raise the flaps carefully and trade airspeed for height.

Crash drills to follow, including mayday call.

Land as soon as possible.

[low n' slow]

What I was taught during my last emergency-check was to enter a dive at VA after cutting out the fuel.
(99 kt for C172 at max T/O weight).
What's needed regarded fires is to get rid of burnable matter and then to by some means blow out the flames, simply put, enter a dive at VA. Hopefully this will extinguish the fire, if it doesn't, just continue as far as possible. If the fire dies down, land ASAP! No-one knows what damage a fire might have to the specific structure, so in a really bad case, the strucure may be severely damaged!
Any field flat and long enough is a good field for this type of emergency.
Hope this never happens but be prepared. What I suppose is important is to read reports on incidents. Compare different outcomes with the different ways the pilots handled it. From this, make up scenarios and make a plan that would work for that specific scenario. Even if it's not the real thing, just thinking of how I would handle a situation makes me feel somewhat more prepared than if I hadn't thought of it!
Best of luck/lns