ENG GND FIRE RESULTING FROM UNAUTH PULLING OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS.

Narrative

ON THE TXWY IN A PARKED POS; THE ACFT WAS VERY WARM INSIDE. WITH 1 ENG OPERATING TO CONSERVE FUEL FOR EXTENDED DELAY WE PULLED 2 CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO OPEN THE AIR CONDITIONING XFEED. THIS PROC IS NOT APPROVED; ALTHOUGH ACCOMPLISHED ALL THE TIME. SOMETHING CAUSED AN INLET FIRE. COMPANY EMER PROCS WERE FOLLOWED ALONG WITH AN EVAC. ALSO; THE PROC OF PULLING THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS HAS BEEN TAUGHT AT OUR COMPANY TRAINING CTR BY COMPANY INSTRUCTORS. THE INFO DOES NOT APPEAR IN ANY MANUALS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CAPT HAS HAD NO FEEDBACK FROM HIS COMPANY ON THE INVESTIGATION. HE BELIEVES THAT SINCE THE PROC HE USED HAD BEEN TAUGHT BY THEIR OWN COMPANY INSTRUCTORS; BUT WAS NOT AN APPROVED PROC; THEY KEPT IT QUIET SO AS TO MISLEAD THE FAA. THE PROC FOR A MALFUNCTIONING PROP BRAKE (LEAKING OIL; ETC); IS TO LEAVE THE CIRCUIT BREAKER PULLED OUT. IN THIS CASE THE MALFUNCTION WAS THE PROP BRAKE INDICATOR; SO THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE LEFT PUSHED IN. DURING THE POST INCIDENT INVESTIGATION WHEN THE FAA CHKED THE COCKPIT; THEY WERE LOOKING TO SEE IF THE FLC HAD PUSHED IN THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS; WHEN IN FACT; THEY HAD ACTUALLY PULLED THEM. RPTR SAYS HE READ AN ENG BULLETIN THAT SAID THE MEL PROC WAS IN ERROR -- TO LEAVE THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS PUSHED IN. SEVERAL OF HIS COMPANY ACFT OF THE SAME TYPE; ATR 42; HAD BEEN MODIFIED TO ALLOW XBLEED AIR CONDITIONING; BUT NOT HIS ACFT. THE FIRE WAS IN THE ENG INLET AND RPTED BY A PAX; VERIFIED BY THE FO; BUT THERE WERE NO COCKPIT INDICATIONS. WHEN THE ACFT WAS EVACED; 1 LADY SUFFERED A SPRAINED ANKLE BECAUSE HER HUSBAND WAS IN A HURRY AND PUSHED HER OUT THE DOOR WHEN SHE HESITATED. THE ENG WAS SHUT DOWN AND THE FIRE WENT OUT. THE GND EMER CREW JUST CHKED ACFT WITH NO EXTINGUISHING OR OTHER ACTION. ACFT WAS TAXIED ON THE OTHER ENG TO THE HANGAR. RPTR CAPT WAS GIVEN 3 WKS OFF; REFRESHER TRAINING AND A CHKRIDE WITH THE FAA PRESENT.