Incident Overview
On October 10, 2014, a Bombardier DHC-8-400 operated by Eurolot SA was involved in an incident at the Warsaw TMA (TMA EPWA). The aircraft had 29 occupants onboard, all without injuries. The crew was performing their first flight of the day on that aircraft.
Sequence of Events
After engine start, no abnormalities were noted. The landing and taxi to the parking stand proceeded without issues. While passengers were disembarking, smoke appeared from under the magnetic compass cover, followed by a flame within 2-3 seconds. The crew decided to extinguish the fire using the cockpit fire extinguisher. The first officer successfully extinguished the fire. The crew then informed technical services, made an entry in the aircraft logbook, and awaited the arrival of maintenance personnel to secure the aircraft.
Crew Actions
The crew did not perform the FUSELAGE FIRE or SMOKE checklist, nor the ON GROUND EMERGENCIES checklist, as evacuation was not necessary.
Probable Cause
As of the report, the cause of the incident was determined to be likely an excessive carbon admixture in the material used for insulation of wires directly connected to the compass.
Preventive Measures
Eurolot SA inspected the magnetic compass lighting connections on all remaining DHC-8 Q400 aircraft in its fleet. The manufacturer conducted specialist examinations of the burnt cables and insulation, and initiated an investigation.
Safety Recommendations
No safety recommendations were formulated by the investigation commission.