History of the Flight
On 4 August 2016, a Piper PA-28-161 aircraft registered as 9M-SKC was being prepared for a solo flight at Malacca International Airport in Melaka, Malaysia. The student pilot, who held a valid Student Pilot License and had logged 48.5 flight hours, completed pre-flight checks and entered the aircraft to start the engine. Despite multiple attempts, the engine failed to start. During what would be the final attempt, the engine caught fire. The student pilot promptly shut down the aircraft and evacuated through the cabin door unaided. Ground crew present at the scene used fire extinguishers to put out the fire.
Aircraft Damage
The fire caused substantial damage to the aircraft's engine and airframe. Following the incident, the operator assessed the damage and determined that the aircraft was beyond economical repair. The registration 9M-SKC was subsequently transferred to another airframe, and the original aircraft was scrapped. No damage to other property was reported.
Injuries
The student pilot was not injured in the serious incident.
Analysis
The investigation determined that the repeated start-up attempts by the student pilot led to the engine becoming flooded with fuel. On the final attempt, fuel that had leaked from the engine ignited, causing a fire that rapidly spread through the engine compartment. The fire was extinguished by ground personnel, but the aircraft had already sustained significant damage.
Conclusions
The serious incident was classified as Fire Non-Impact (F-NI). The operator was advised to ensure that all pilots apply correct procedures when an engine fails to start on the first attempt, to prevent similar occurrences.