ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 297916
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Tuesday 25 December 2018 |
| Time: | 09:48 LT |
| Type: |  Van's RV-6 |
| Owner/operator: | Bald Eagle Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N711KJ |
| MSN: | 21159 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1993 |
| Engine model: | Performance Aero Engines O-320-EXP |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Watkins, Colorado -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Watkins, CO |
| Watkins, CO | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that he'd been conducting touch-and-go landings in the traffic pattern. During initial climb for the second touch-and-go landing and once the airplane reached between about 200 and 300 ft above ground level, he smelled an unusual odor and noticed flames coming from the floor forward of his rudder pedals. The pilot added that he 'immediately rejected the takeoff†and declared an emergency. He then landed the airplane on the departure runway, exited the runway onto a taxiway, and then stopped the airplane. The pilot subsequently turned off the fuel valve, shut down the engine by pulling the mixture to full lean, turned off the fuel valve and electrical power switches, and then exited the airplane. A postcrash fire ensued, which consumed the airplane.
The pilot stated that he had installed all new fuel lines about 1 month or 1.5 flight hours before the accident flight. Postaccident engine examination revealed that all four fuel lines exhibited thermal damage and soot on their exteriors, consistent with exposure to fire. An end of one of the fuel lines had soot deposits in the first three threads of the line's attachment fitting. If the fuel line had been secured at the time of the fire, no soot deposits would have been inside the threaded fitting. Therefore, it is likely that the fuel line loosened during flight due to the pilot's failure to apply adequate torque to the line during installation, which allowed fuel to enter the hot engine compartment and led to an in-flight fire that consumed the airplane.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to apply adequate torque to a fuel line during recent maintenance, which allowed the line to loosen in flight and fuel to enter the hot engine compartment and resulted in an in-flight fire that consumed the airplane.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN19LA048
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Oct-2022 10:24 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation