DH89A Rapide Dragon, G-AIYR, 8 September 2012
DH89A Rapide Dragon, G-AIYR
Summary:
The aircraft was being prepared for flight, with the commander and seven passengers on board. The left engine was started first, followed, after priming, by the right engine. Immediately after the right engine started the pilot saw a flame, which appeared to originate from the outboard section of its engine cowling. Believing the right wing to have caught fire, he shut down both engines. The pilot then assisted with passenger evacuation, which had been initiated by the ground crew when the fire broke out. Ground crew also tackled the fire, with hand held appliances, and had extinguished the fire when the aerodrome fire service arrived on scene.
An investigation conducted by the aircraft operator concluded that the probable cause of the fire was over-priming of the hot engine, leading to the ignition of overflowed fuel.
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