Arizona Pilots Association
Preserving
Promoting
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General Aviation in Arizona

Advocating the common interests of Arizona's general aviation community at the local and state level.

Arizona Pilots Association
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The Voice of General Aviation in Arizona!

Scholarships

Scholarships are given each year to help fill the financial need of students pursuing aviation related educational opportunities at accredited colleges.

Backcountry

Safety briefing pamphlets, map, and videos for the backcountry airstrips in Arizona that the APA and volunteers have worked to reopen and currently maintain.

Airparks

Information regarding properties and contacts in a listing of the airparks located in Arizona, with special articles detailing the ins-and-outs of many of them.

Passport App

Win awards and stay proficient by visiting Arizona’s public-use airstrips and airports, as well as many airport restaurants and aviation themed museums in our #FLYAZ Passport App.

Safety

The APA provides safety seminars around the state, as well as articles on various safety topics each month. We also have available for download GAJSC safety presentations.

Calendar

The APA maintains a comprehensive calendar of many aviation events around Arizona, as well as our monthly Grapevine BBQ and special getaways. Find out what's happening.

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Latest News Articles

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By Howard Deevers

 

Few things could be more frightening to a pilot than an engine fire in flight. We do train for engine failure during primary flight training, and we may even discuss an engine fire, but there is no good way to simulate an engine fire. The fortunate thing is that engine fires during flight are very rare, not unheard of, but rare. I do remember an instructor demonstrating a rapid descent to get on the ground in the event of an engine fire in flight. I remember thinking, “I hope that never happens.”

engine fires piper arror

My first engine fire happened as I was departing Hartford, Connecticut. The Hartford airport (BDL) is about 15 miles north of the city, and only 5 miles South of the Massachusetts State line. I had flown a Piper Turbo Arrow from Pittsburgh (AGC) to BDL. After a business meeting I had plans to fly from Hartford to Teterboro, NJ (TEB), to visit another company. While on departure from BDL and still talking to Hartford Departure control, I heard a loud “BANG” and the engine was vibrating roughly. A small bit of smoke came into the cabin of the Arrow on the passenger side. At that moment I thought that there was an engine fire. I told Hartford Departure about this and started a turn to return to the airport. Scanning the instruments, I saw that my oil pressure was dropping and decided that with the loss of oil the engine would likely seize up before getting back to BDL. I quickly looked for some other place to land the airplane. I was over the city of Hartford, but a nice looking black runway was just ahead in East Hartford. Hartford Departure said that they had emergency equipment at that airport, and that he would notify them, and gave me the tower frequency for that airport, as well.

At that point I was high and fast, so to slow down and configure for a landing I flew across the airport and made a “modified” pattern. When I was on final approach, and knew that I could make the landing, I pulled the mixture back to shut down the engine. There would be NO go around. I had to land. The equipment was indeed standing by and followed me down the runway. I made a turn off and stopped. When I opened the door, I saw that the right wing had a lot of oil on it. Not knowing if there was a fire or not, we got out quickly. A lot of oil was dripping from the engine compartment. One of the trucks put a metal drip pan under the engine to keep the oil from getting all over their nice taxiway. There was no fire. A crack in a cylinder on the right side of the engine allowed oil to drip down onto the exhaust, and that is where the smoke was coming from. Lucky me! No fire! But I canceled my plans for the rest of the day.

engine fires fire extinguisher

It turns out that the airport was Prat and Whitney's private field in East Hartford. They were very nice to me and towed the plane to a hangar. Naturally, I called the flying club to tell them about this. I then received a call from the FAA via Hartford Departure Control to see if we were safe. And, oh, by the way, don't go anywhere until we can talk to you and see the plane! The next day the FAA representatives came for a look. Apparently, there had been some other similar Arrow engine failures, and they wanted documentation on this. The Turbo Arrow had about 100 hours on an overhauled engine, many of those hours flown by me on other cross country trips.

The club sent another airplane with a mechanic and a new cylinder to Hartford. I rode back to Pittsburgh with them, while the mechanic and another pilot stayed to return the plane a day later. I can't remember if I ever flew that airplane again or not.

My “second” and real engine fire was right here in Arizona. My Piper Warrior had a history of being hard to start. After some experimentation, I was able to start the plane with little effort. After a local flight, I made a landing at Pinal Airport (KMZJ). Nothing unusual at all, and I turned off the runway (runway 30 in use) at the first turn off. I was well off the runway and planning to taxi to a tie down spot when the engine just quit. Well, I had more taxiing to do, so went through a re-start procedure. I expected the engine to roar back to life, and then taxi to a parking place. The engine did not respond, and I tried again. This time, while cranking the starter, some smoke came up from behind the prop.

engine fires piper warrior

I remember thinking, “This is not good,” but at least I was on the ground. Then I saw some red flames coming up from under the cowling on the left side of the plane. My next thought was, “Oh, this REALLY IS NOT good, and I had better get out of this airplane!” I shut everything off and got out of the plane, then remembered that I have a fire extinguisher in the back seat. I quickly retrieved the fire extinguisher and went to the front of the plane and sprayed into the engine opening. Those little fire extinguishers are good for about 15 to 25 seconds of use, which was not enough to put out that fire.

Fortunately for me, some other guys on the airport saw me and the black smoke coming from the front of the airplane and quickly came out in a pickup truck with other fire extinguishers. We were then able to put the fire out. I opened the cowling to take a look. There was a lot of fire damage, but at least the fire was out. We pulled the plane to a tie down spot and I started to assess the damage. I called my mechanic and we made an appointment for him to look over the plane the next day.

engine fires cockpit

I got there early and took off the cowling. All of the fiberglass nose parts were beyond repair. Many wires had insulation burned off. The metal cowling parts were dirty, but still not damaged by the fire. We looked all over the engine to see what had caused that fire. In the end, we were able to speculate but never prove the exact cause. A hot engine can catch on fire for any number of reasons. My mechanic recommended that I take the engine off and do a complete overhaul. I called my insurance company and they said that since it was a non-movement incident, they would cover all of the expenses.

After a complete overhaul, many new parts and new wiring, the engine was re-mounted and tested. One of my biggest problems was finding the replacement fiberglass nose cowling parts. Of course, there was some painting that had to be done, too. In the end, the overhauled engine has run very well for the last 600 hours, and my attention has been to other details, like ADS-B and interior upgrades to the plane.

I am certainly not looking forward to any more engine fires. You can carry a fire extinguisher in your plane for 10 years, and never need it, but when you do need one, you are going to need it badly and the biggest one you have won't be big enough. Fortunately, they are rare, and I hope you never have to experience one. Be prepared, stay vigilant, fly safe!

 

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“The backcountry success of reopening airstrips in Arizona which the APA has accomplished through volunteer efforts is unsurpassed.”

Brian Schober, APA President
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We would like to thank our partners!

2022 bill robinson blue skies light sport repair

Bill Robinson
Arizona Light Sport Airplane Repair
(623) 218-4646

2022 photos happen

Karyn King
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(206) 795-2796

2023 pilot clinic

The Pilot Clinic
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Steven Huff
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Glenn Roberts
Arizona Skies Aviation
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(480) 980-9846