What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Smoke in cabin on climbout. Returned safely. Burned on runway. Had routed inflamable fuel lines near exhaust. (-23) after takeoff at approximately 800 AGL, the pilot noticed smoke in the cockpit and immediately landed. After the pilot and passenger departed the aircraft, the pilot noticed fire on the bottom of the fuselage near the base of the engine. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the fuselage and right wing caught fire and burned. The most likely apparent cause of the fire was flammable plastic tubing lying against the hot exhaust lines causing the melted plastic to ignite the fuselage fabric that ran all the way to the engine firewall where the hot burning plastic was dropping.
As the FAA filed it
SMOKE IN CABIN ON CLIMBOUT. RETURNED SAFELY. BURNED ON RUNWAY. HAD ROUTED INFLAMABLE FUEL LINES NEAR EXHAUST. (-23) AFTER TAKEOFF AT APPROXIMATELY 800 AGL, THE PILOT NOTICED SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AND IMMEDIATELY LANDED. AFTER THE PILOT AND PASSENGER DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT, THE PILOT NOTICED FIRE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE NEAR THE BASE OF THE ENGINE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE REST OF THE FUSELAGE AND RIGHT WING CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED. THE MOST LIKELY APPARENT CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS FLAMMABLE PLASTIC TUBING LYING AGAINST THE HOT EXHAUST LINES CAUSING THE MELTED PLASTIC TO IGNITE THE FUSELAGE FABRIC THAT RAN ALL THE WAY TO THE ENGINE FIREWALL WHERE THE HOT BURNING PLASTIC WAS DROPPING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.