Summary
On October 03, 2007, a Piper PA 28-151 (N8549F) was involved in an incident near Salt Lake City, UT. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The leak at the fuel line fitting, which resulted in a fire during engine start.
The pilot reported that he intended to go on a local area personal flight. He performed the preflight inspection in the hangar. He pulled the airplane out of the hangar, started the engine, and taxied to the runup area for runway 16. When he reached the runup area, he shut the engine down and retrieved two headsets from the airplane's baggage compartment. He returned to the cockpit and started the engine. He did not prime the engine because it had recently been running. The engine restarted with no apparent problems. As he turned to retrieve the pretakeoff checklist he felt heat on his face. He looked but did not see the source; however, the heat increased. As he looked out of the door he saw flames emanating from under the front of the engine cowling.
This incident is documented in NTSB report SEA08CA004. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8549F.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The leak at the fuel line fitting, which resulted in a fire during engine start.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot reported that he intended to go on a local area personal flight. He performed the preflight inspection in the hangar. He pulled the airplane out of the hangar, started the engine, and taxied to the runup area for runway 16. When he reached the runup area, he shut the engine down and retrieved two headsets from the airplane's baggage compartment. He returned to the cockpit and started the engine. He did not prime the engine because it had recently been running. The engine restarted with no apparent problems. As he turned to retrieve the pretakeoff checklist he felt heat on his face. He looked but did not see the source; however, the heat increased. As he looked out of the door he saw flames emanating from under the front of the engine cowling. Then, he pulled the mixture control to the lean position to shut down the engine and evacuate the airplane.
The Federal Aviation Administration accident coordinator examined the airplane. Fire damage was evident in the aft engine area, and the cockpit area was consumed. Examination of the gascolator showed that the fuel line fitting at the gascolator that connected the line to the fuel pump leaked. Based on a review of the logbooks, the accident coordinator stated that no recent maintenance had been performed on the fitting.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# SEA08CA004