AN A300-600R ON #2 ENG START THE STARTER VALVE FAILED TO OPEN. TECHNICIAN MANUALLY OPENED THE START VALVE 3 TIMES WITH NO START. THIRD ATTEMPT CAUSED A FIRE IN THE TAILPIPE. EXTINGUISHED BY LCL FIRE DEPT.

Narrative

DURING #2 ENG START (FIRST ENG TO BE STARTED); THE START VALVE FAILED TO OPEN WHEN THE START SWITCH WAS DEPRESSED. ALL OTHER INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL; INCLUDING DUCT PRESSURE. WE CYCLED THE START SELECTOR 'OFF' THEN 'ON' AND RE-ATTEMPTED WITH THE SAME RESULT. MAINT WAS NOTIFIED AND MECHS WERE SENT TO THE ACFT WITH WHOM WE COMMUNICATED VIA INTERPHONE. WE USED THE 'ENG START VALVE MANUAL OP' PROC TO ATTEMPT SUBSEQUENT RESTARTS. THE FIRST MANUAL ATTEMPT RESULTED IN N2 ROTATION TO NORMAL STARTING PARAMETERS; BUT NO LIGHT-OFF OCCURRED WHEN THE FUEL LEVER WAS RAISED. THE START WAS ABORTED (FUEL LEVER TO 'OFF'); AND THE ENG WAS MOTORED (MECH LEFT THE START VALVE OPEN) FOR 30+ SECONDS THEN RUN DOWN TO 3% N2. A RESTART WAS ATTEMPTED USING THE SAME MANUAL TECHNIQUE. THIS TIME THE EGT ROSE RAPIDLY AND THE START WAS ABORTED AS THE EGT APCHED 700 DEGS (+/-730 DEGS WAS REACHED AT PEAK). DURING EGT RISE; THE N2 WAS OBSERVED TO DECREASE TO 15%. THE ENG WAS MOTORED; AND THEN RUN DOWN AND DUTY LIMITS WERE OBSERVED. THE MECH REQUESTED AN ADDITIONAL ATTEMPT (TO CLR RESIDUAL FUEL); BUT ONCE AGAIN THE ENG DID NOT LIGHT OFF (SAME RESULT AS FIRST ATTEMPT). THE ENG WAS MOTORED; THEN ALLOWED TO SPIN DOWN TO 0% N2. DURING THIS TIME; WE WERE INFORMED BY THE MECH THAT THERE WAS STILL A RESIDUAL FLAME INSIDE THE ENG; AND HE REQUESTED THAT WE PULL THE FIRE HANDLE AS A PRECAUTION (NO AGENT DISCHARGE). ARPT CFR WAS PRESENT AND SPRAYED AGENT INTO THE BACK OF THE ENG (WITHOUT CONSULTING THE MECHS WHO WERE MONITORING THE SITUATION). WE WERE UNAWARE OF THE PRESENCE OF ANY FIRE UNTIL THE MECH REQUESTED THAT WE PULL THE FIRE HANDLE. IN ADDITION; WE WERE UNAWARE OF THE PRESENCE OF FIRE PERSONNEL UNTIL DEBRIEFING THE MECHS.