Incident Overview
On Tuesday, 8 May 2012, at 07:45 UTC, a student pilot was preparing for a solo flight at Jerez Airport (LEJR) in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-28-161 Warrior, registration EC-IOT, operated by Flight Training Europe (FTE) Jerez. The aircraft had a single Lycoming O-320-D3G engine and a three-blade propeller. The pilot, a 21-year-old Jordanian national, held a valid Student Pilot Authorization and a Class 2 medical certificate, with 119.1 total flight hours, all on type.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot's statement, he started the engine after completing the fuel priming sequence three times without noting any anomalies. He then taxied to an area of the apron designated for engine tests. During the test, he closed the throttle to check engine idle, in conformance with the "Check idle" item on the checklist. At that moment, the engine made a loud noise, stopped, and smoke began to issue from the engine. The pilot called the school's operations department and performed the engine fire checklist. While doing so, flames emerged from the engine cover. An instructor in another aircraft, alerted by his student, retrieved a fire extinguisher from a nearby parked aircraft and responded. By the time he arrived, the pilot had exited the aircraft. The instructor discharged the extinguisher to put out the fire. Once the fire was out, the instructor entered the cockpit, secured the aircraft by placing the master switch to OFF, and noticed smoke inside. He retrieved another extinguisher and gave it to a maintenance mechanic who had just arrived, who discharged it on the reflashing fire. The pilot was not injured. Damage to the aircraft was confined to the engine and its fairing. The aircraft was towed to a hangar for subsequent inspection.
Post-Inspection Findings
A visual inspection immediately after the incident revealed that the battery switch was ON, the fuel pump was ON, the right fuel tank was selected, the beacon was on, the throttle was closed, and the mixture was cut off (ICO). The pilot later confirmed that the carburetor heat was not on. The inspection conducted in the hangar revealed that the hot air intake to the carburetor (from the exhaust pipes) was broken and showed signs of high temperature exposure. The bottom part of the engine fairing was also affected by high temperatures. Fuel pipes and the area housing the carburetor showed no evidence of fuel loss or leak. The fire appeared to have started in the bend of the hot air intake from the exhaust pipes. The Maintenance Center concluded that the incident did not result from a component failure. Further inspection and study of operations reports indicated that the fire most likely started due to fuel buildup in the exhaust area, probably from using the carburetor accelerator pump (fuel pump) to try to start the engine when it was very possibly flooded. During each actuation, the fuel pump released about 2cc of fuel, which ended up on the lower engine fairing, which showed signs of fuel accumulation.
Checklist Differences
The engine start checklists provided by the school specified turning on the fuel pump and priming as required. The typical practice at the school was to prime the fuel three times using the throttle lever, though this was not reflected in the checklist. In contrast, the manufacturer's checklists considered various starting scenarios, including hot and cold priming. The school had previously operated the aircraft in Scotland, where cold temperatures necessitated priming. The checklists had not been adapted for the warmer conditions in Spain. After the incident, the school modified the expanded checklists to align with the manufacturer's recommendations, retaining the "Prime: As required" item in normal checklists with a flight crew notice on conditions for performing the step.
Aircraft and Aerodrome Information
The aircraft, a Piper PA-28-161 Warrior, serial number 2816046, had a valid airworthiness certificate and 7,063:30 total hours, with 886 hours on the engine. Its last flight was on 3 May 2012, and the last 50-hour inspection was conducted the day before the incident with no anomalies noted. Jerez Airport is located 8 km northeast of Jerez de la Frontera, with a single runway 02/20 measuring 2,300 m by 45 m. The school's aircraft parked at point 1 and engine tests were normally conducted at point 2.