FLC CAUSED AN ENG FIRE ON THE GND AT PGV DURING ENG START.

Narrative

ON A FLT FROM IAD TO PGV AND EWN (DULLES-GREENVILLE; NC- NEW BERN; NC) WE STOPPED AT PGV TO DROP OFF A PAX. THROUGH PAX REMAINED ON BOARD. AFTER DEPLANING LCL PAX; WE PREPARED TO DEPART FOR EWN. AFTER PERFORMING BEFORE START CHKLIST; I ATTEMPTED TO START THE R ENG. ON THIS ACFT; THIS IS DONE BY FIRST PRESSING A 'SELECT' THEN A 'START' BUTTON; AND AN AUTOSTART COMPUTER STARTS THE ENG AUTOMATICALLY. WHEN I PUSHED THE SELECT BUTTON NOTHING HAPPENED. WE WERE CHKING THE SWITCHES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG WHEN WE NOTICED A FLAME COMING OUT THE AIR INLET FOR THE R ENG. WE EVAC THE ACFT AND SHUT DOWN THE PLANE. THE FO DISCHARGED A HALON EXTINGUISHER INTO THE AIR INLET TO BE CERTAIN THE FIRE WAS OUT. THEN WE DISCOVERED THE AIR/GND SWITCHES IN THE AIR POS. THESE SWITCHES VARY THE FUNCTION OF THE AUTO START COMPUTER FOR GND OR AIR STARTS. IN THE AIR POS; THE STARTER MOTOR IS NOT ENGAGED. THE AIR/GND SWITCHES ARE NORMALLY PLACED IN THE GND POS DURING THE AFTER LNDG CHKLIST; HOWEVER; THIS WAS EVIDENTLY OVERLOOKED ON THIS FLT. THE CHKLIST ITEM STATES SIMPLY 'OVERHEAD PANEL -- AS REQUIRED' AND INCLUDES LNDG LIGHTS; STROBES; STALL PROTECTION; AIR/GND SWITCHES; AND OIL COOLER FLAPS. THERE IS NO MENTION OF THE AIR/GND SWITCHES ON THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. RELEGATING THESE SWITCHES TO A MEMORY ITEM SEEMS TO INVITE OVERLOOKING THEM. I HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT THESE SWITCHES BE CHKED AND INCLUDED ON THE BEFORE START CHKLIST.