Piper PA28

Full Narrative

The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the wind pushed the airplane to the right and he overcompensated with left rudder. The airplane veered to the left, abruptly rotated about 180°, and the engine and airplane stopped on the runway at a taxiway intersection.

The tower controller asked if the pilot could restart the engine or if he needed a tow. The pilot attempted to restart the engine 4 to 5 times. While attempting a "hot start", he observed black smoke from the lower left engine cowling. He leaned forward and saw flames in the same location. The pilot searched for a fire extinguisher, to no avail. He egressed the airplane without further incident.

The pilot added that, during the multiple restarts, he engaged the starter for 5 to 8 seconds and estimated that the time between attempts was about 5 seconds. He attempted a hot start for the first couple of attempts, then after he observed the engine fire, he attempted a flooded start.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The director of maintenance reported that the fire extinguisher was located in the seat pocket behind the copilot's seat.

The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 7 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 360° at 10 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 10.

The pilot's operating handbook contained section 3.7 titled, "Engine Fire During Start", which stated:

Engine fires during start are usually the result of overpriming.



It continued in section 4.13 titled, "Starting Engine", which stated:

Starter manufacturers recommend that cranking periods be limited to thirty sections with a two minute rest between cranking periods. Longer cranking periods will shorten the life of the starter.