Piper PA-31-350 Engine Fire Incident at Desierto de Atacama Aerodrome

Incident Overview and Flight Details On February 1, 2022, a Piper PA-31-350 aircraft was conducting an air ambulance secondary transfer flight between Desierto de Atacama Aerodrome (SCAT) in Caldera and Diego Aracena Aerodrome (SCDA) in Iquique. The flight carried a pilot in command, a co-pilot, one patient, and two medical personnel. The aircraft departed runway 35 at SCAT without reported issues. ## Engine Failure and Emergency Response At an altitude of 3,500 feet, the right engine (Engine No. 2) began losing manifold pressure and RPM. The pilot in command requested to return to the aerodrome as a precaution. Subsequently, signs of fire appeared in the right engine, prompting the crew to declare an emergency. Upon arrival at SCAT, the aircraft was assisted by the Aircraft Fire and Rescue Service (SSEI) on taxiway Bravo. ## Damage and Casualties All five occupants, including the crew and passengers, evacuated the aircraft independently and sustained no injuries. The investigation identified fire-related damage to the rear of the right engine nacelle, specifically affecting the upper cowl air deflector and various engine components located between the accessory case and the turbocharger. No other damage was reported. ## Aircraft and Crew Information The aircraft, manufactured in 1977, had a serial number of 31-7752188 and 7,780:06 hours of service. It was equipped with two Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD engines and Hartzell HC-E3YR-2ATF propellers. The pilot in command was a 38-year-old Chilean commercial pilot with 1,153:36 total flight hours, while the co-pilot was a 62-year-old Chilean airline transport pilot with 7,760 total flight hours. Both held valid medical certificates and had no prior incident records.