Pilot Debrief

Cessna 172 near Mount Vernon, OH — 2018-07-28

Final reportWPR18LA207
Sign in to save
Date
2018-07-28
Location
Mount Vernon, OH, USA
Airport
4I3
Aircraft
Cessna 172
Registration
N785SP
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

An in-flight fuel-fed fire from an unknown source for reasons that could not be determined due to the extensive fire damage to the airplane.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that, several minutes after takeoff for the personal flight, he maneuvered the airplane to enter the traffic pattern to practice touch-and-go landings. Shortly after, he noticed a fire near the rudder pedals. He expedited his approach, and the fire continued to grow while he landed the airplane. After landing, he safely egressed from the airplane; a few seconds later, the cockpit area was engulfed in flames. The airplane was destroyed. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed evidence of a fuel-fed fire that had emanated from the rear, lower center portion of the engine. Extensive thermal damage was in the area where the mechanical fuel pump is mounted to the oil cooler. The oil cooler's bottom hose connection was separated from the oil cooler, and the fuel pump's bottom portion was missing. Due to the fire damage, the exact initiation point and source of the fire could not be determined. There were no maintenance write-ups indicating a fuel leak or odors in the previous 20 flight hours.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the flight upon noticing the initial heat.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

Related mishaps