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Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 192

Another video you may or may not have seen. I think it is from maintenance but still fairly alarming. Enjoy!

Burn baby burn!

Original post

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 1,381

great video

i think that is fairly normal and i believe its the engine burning out the oil that was left in it after maintanance - feel free to correct me if im talking rubbish

scary for ATC if they aren't warned that its about to happen - you don't want the airports fire service descending on the aircraft. lol.

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 997

Yes, been threre, done that!!!! I changed a F.F.G. (Fuel flow govenor) on a 737 a few years back. The manual told us to drain the presevative oil from inside the unit berfoe fitting it,we did. The manual then said to do a "wet cycle" of the engine, i.e. turn it over on the starter at starting speed with the fuel on but the ignition OFF. There would be a plume of thick vapour for a short while followed by fuel vapour. We were then to shut off the fuel keep the engine turning untill all traces of vapour stopped, then go for a normal engine start. The manual warned us that it was normal to see a small jet pipe fire as there was always a little residual preservative left in the jet pipe. So I went for the start and the CFM gave it's normal boom as the fuel ignighted. the small jet pipe fire happened and got worse and worse until I chopped the fuel and tried to blow it out by keeping the engine turning. My collegues out side then discharged a fire extiguisher around the jet pipe to put the fire out. The next embarrassing thing was that the fire service, who were just passing,all joined in!!. We just about managed to stop them from covering the whole aircraft in foam!!!.
In the supsiquent inquiry it was found that the FFG had been delivered with a faulty solenoid that caused the unit to over fuel the engine on start. This unit was changed and after various other checks carried out to the aircraft and engine, the aircraft was back in service the next day. I went into work the next day expecting my plums to be squeezed but , as I had done everything right, was in the clear.

Rgds Cking

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 192

Thanks for that Cking. A good bit of info to be stored in the back of my mind in case I go back on the 73 one day. I've also read that it can happen when the FCU/FFG doesn't shut off properly and a small amount of fuel pools in the combustion chamber and reignites on the next start particularly on short turn arounds. I've certainly seen the PW4000's dripping fuel after shutdown when the fuel continues to flow after shut down.