missing track file Random Engine Fires

[CrypticVillain]

Sometimes I get random engine fires in multiplayer and can't explain why. I asked the server admin if there was a random failure settings or something he said he doesn't thinks so and if there was it shouldn't be on. I thought maybe I was over stressing the engines but I just had a right engine fire with the throttle at 80% at angels 12, flying level in a slight right bank. Also once I put the fire out I can't restart the engine which to me indicates its not a flame out but actual engine damage.

 

I should also mention this has happened to me while sitting on a taxi way at idle.

 

Any ideas on what's causing this?

Edited December 4, 2020 by CrypticVillain

[Snoopy]

Are birds enabled?  Haven’t noticed in a while but in the past at low altitudes a random engine fire was caused by a bird strike IIRC.

[Yurgon]

13 hours ago, CrypticVillain said:

Also once I put the fire out I can't restart the engine which to me indicates its not a flame out but actual engine damage.

 

I'd also go with the birds explanation. Had this once in an MP flight at take-off. Quite the experience!

 

When you say engine fire, I assume the T-handle was lit? I'm not sure it's advisable to even attempt an in-flight restart. After all, an engine fire is by definition the exact opposite of a flame-out...

[CrypticVillain]

I feel like it happens far to often to be a bird strike. I have had it occur 4 times on my VFW's server. Once while idling on the taxi way.

[sthompson]

I've had similar issues in the Mig-15 due to a spiky throttle. The Mig doesn't like to have the throttle go instantly to idle and then back to max (or vice versa) due to a controller malfunction.  Cleaning the pots in my throttle solved the problem. I'm speculating but am wondering if something similar could happen in the A-10C.

[melchionda]

I've had a few engine fires in my left engine for no apparent reason.  At first I thought that I might have been hit and thats what caused the fire, but it happened tonight and yesterday and I'm almost positive that it wasn't due to getting hit.  I thought maybe I was over-stressing the engine too so on this last flight I kept throttle at like 90%... still had a fire anyway.

 

[Caldera]

Melch,

 

On 1/13/2021 at 11:02 PM, melchionda said:

I've had a few engine fires in my left engine for no apparent reason.  At first I thought that I might have been hit and thats what caused the fire, but it happened tonight and yesterday and I'm almost positive that it wasn't due to getting hit.  I thought maybe I was over-stressing the engine too so on this last flight I kept throttle at like 90%... still had a fire anyway.

 

 

That may be a simulation of a condition that occurs in actual turbine engines, of for that matter turbo chargers.  In some cases it can cause catastropic engine failure (IE: blades going out the back of the engine along with hot exhaust gases, but not for long!).  Read up on compressor stall / surge if your are interested. 

 

Essentially, it means that the much higher pressure air (~200 psia) on the combustor side of the compressor goes back backwards through the compressor.  This is bad.   During that process the compressor blades have very little drag.  Once the air flow reverses back to the normal direction, the compressor blades catch the air again.  The blade stresses can be extreme to the point of rotating parts hitting the none rotating parts.  Not to mention what happens in the combustors and to combustion process due to the momentary loss of air flow.  The flames can back right up to the fuel nozzles.

 

Caldera

Edited January 17, 2021 by Caldera

[ASAP]

I know this is an old post but I'm curious how you were handling the aircraft when it happened. In the real aircraft If you are pulling hard on the stick and getting the chopped tone above certain airspeeds, especially if you are yawing the jet its possible you could have been in the engine distrubance envelope. That could lead to compressor stalls/fires/flameouts. I have no idea if that's simulated realistically or not. It would be really cool if it is.

[CrypticVillain]

Totally forget I made this thread but for anyone who may stumble across this thread I thought I would post the solution.

Leaving the APU on especially after take off is generally the cause of this issue. I have speculated on possible reasons why this is (bleed air valve closing, APU gen shutting off cooling fan for the apu, etc etc), but I won't list them all here since I am far from an A-10C expert lol. The manual does mention something to the effect of shutting down the APU before take off.

So my general rule of thumb is double check that the APU and APU gen are off before doing your run up to 80.

Honestly just following the normal startup procedure and turning it off as instructed is the best approach since we never do ground power starts with the A-10 in DCS anyway. But if for some reason you followed the ground power startup procedure then double checking the APU before run up is a good back up habit to have!