A FO'S RPT ON AN SF340 R ENG START PERFORMED BY THE CAPT BEFORE THE PREFLT CHK WAS COMPLETED AND WHILE THE FO WAS STILL OUTSIDE. ENG INGESTED THE ENG AIR INLET COVER BEFORE IT WAS SHUT DOWN.

Narrative

AT APPROX XA30 LCL TIME; I PROCEEDED OUT TO THE ACFT TO INITIATE THE EXTERIOR INSPECTION POS OF THE PREFLT. THE CAPT WAS APPROX 1 MIN BEHIND ME. BEFORE ENTERING THE ACFT; OPENING THE MAIN CABIN DOOR; OR DOING ANYTHING ELSE; I REMOVED BOTH THE L AND R PROP TIES. AFTER REMOVING THE LAST PROP TIE (R SIDE); I SAW THE CAPT ASCENDING THE AIRSTAIRS INTO THE ACFT. I FOLLOWED BEHIND HIM A MOMENT LATER TO STOW THE PROP TIES IN THE COCKPIT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER STOWING THE PROP TIES; I STEPPED BACK INTO THE PAX CABIN TO RETRIEVE THE EMPTY INLET COVERS STOWAGE BAG AND BEGAN DOWN THE AIRSTAIRS TO BEGIN THE EXTERIOR INSPECTION. NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS I SAW THAT THE ROTATING BEACONS WERE ON; FOLLOWED A FRACTION OF A SECOND LATER BY THE SOUND OF THE R ENG STARTING. HAVING NEVER GIVEN THE ENG START CLRNC TO THE CAPT; I WAS SHOCKED AND IMMEDIATELY CONCERNED THAT I WOULD BE UNABLE TO PREFLT THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT. I IMMEDIATELY ASCENDED THE AIRSTAIRS AND INFORMED THE CAPT THAT NO OILS HAD BEEN CHKED OR PREFLT PERFORMED ON THE EXTERIOR R SIDE OF THE ACFT. HE STATED HE HAD FLOWN THE ACFT IN THE PREVIOUS NIGHT AND THAT THE OILS WERE CHKED AND OK. I THEN BEGAN BACK DOWN THE AIRSTAIRS; THINKING I WAS CONCERNED AND CONFUSED BY THE CAPT'S ACTIONS AND THAT I WOULDN'T ALLOW THE FLT TO BE INITIATED WITHOUT A PROPER EXTERIOR INSPECTION AND PREFLT. AT THAT MOMENT; AS I DSNDED THE AIRSTAIRS; I SAW A SMALL INLET COVER TO THE OIL COOLER BEING BLOWN UNDERNEATH THE ACFT. I REALIZED THAT ALL THE INLET COVERS AND PLUGS ON THE R ENG WERE PROBABLY INSTALLED. I THEN IMMEDIATELY RAN FORWARD OUTSIDE THE ACFT TO A POINT OUTSIDE THE CAPT'S WINDOW AND SIGNALED HIM TO SHUT THE ENG DOWN/ABORT THE START. THE START WAS THEN IMMEDIATELY ABORTED.