AN MD88 CREW; ON STARTING THE R ENG; OBSERVED NO EXHAUST GAS TEMP INDICATION. SECOND START RAPID TEMP RISE. TERMINATED START. ANOTHER ACFT RPTED TAILPIPE FIRE.

Narrative

WE TAXIED FROM THE GATE TO THE #3 POS FOR TKOF USING A SINGLE ENG. LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING ON THE FIELD. WE INITIATED AN ENG START ON THE R ENG. DESPITE THE APPLICATION OF THE FUEL LEVER; I DID NOT OBSERVE A RISE IN EGT. I THEN TERMINATED THE ENG START. WE TAXIED OFF THE TXWY; AND INITIATED A SECOND ENG START. I OBSERVED EGT RISE MORE RAPIDLY THAN NORMAL. I THEN TERMINATED THIS ENG START. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; ANOTHER ACFT RPTED THAT THERE WAS BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM OUR R ENG. A FEW SECONDS LATER; I HEARD A RADIO RPT STATING THAT FLAMES WERE COMING FROM OUR R ENG. I THEN PULLED THE FIRE HANDLE FOR THE R ENG AND DISCHARGED A FIRE BOTTLE. EMER RESPONSE EQUIP ARRIVED AT THE ACFT'S LOCATION A SHORT TIME THEREAFTER; AND RPTED THAT FLAMES CONTINUED TO COME FROM THE R ENG. I THEN DISCHARGED THE SECOND FIRE BOTTLE INTO THE R ENG. THE FIRE CREW ON THE GND APPLIED AN EXTINGUISHING AGENT TO THE R ENG. AFTER A FEW MINS; THEY RPTED THAT THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. PAX REMAINED CALM THROUGHOUT THE EVENT. ZZZ OPS TOWED THE ACFT TO A GATE; AND PAX WERE DEPLANED. I MADE A LOGBOOK ENTRY BEFORE DEPARTING THE ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED IT REALLY WAS A FAILURE TO FOLLOW ENG START PROCS AS ONE ATTEMPT WAS MADE WITH NO IGNITION. THE RPTR SAID THE ENG WAS LOADED UP WITH FUEL AND THIS IGNITED CAUSING THE TAILPIPE FIRE. THE RPTR STATED THE AIRPLANE HAD NO MECHANICAL FAULT BUT WAS TAKEN OUT.