20010430008579A

(.19)On April 30, 2001, at 1850 hours mountain standard time, a Bellanca 14-19, N521A, caught fire and exploded while making a precautionary landing at Casa Grande, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed and the certificated airline transport pilot and his two passengers received serious injuries. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight by the owner/pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight had originated from chandler municipal airport, chandler, Arizona, about 1830. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed. A passenger reported that a fluid leak had developed from an area near the center of the instrument panel, and the pilot was making a precautionary landing to determine the nature of the problem. He said that the airplane had landed without incident, and was on rollout on runway 23 at Casa Grande Municipal Airport when the cabin exploded. The right cabin door was blown off and the airplane ran off the left side of the runway before reentering the runway and coming to a stop. The passenger in the right front seat exited the airplane and was followed by the pilot who had been in the left front seat. When the pilot realized that the rear-seated passenger had not exited, he reentered the cabin and helped her out of the airplane. The airplane was completely engulfed in flames. All three occupants received serious thermal injuries. An examination by a safety board investigator revealed that three pressure gauges are located in the center of the instrument panel around the point identified by the right seat passenger as the source of the fluid leak. A pressure line from the fuel, oil, and hydraulic systems is connected to each instrument gauge respectively. A detailed examination of the remnants of all three lines is in process. All three metal fuel tanks were swollen, breached, and showed evidence of being partially consumed by the fire. There was no evidence to indicate puncturing, crushing, or scraping of any tank had occurred. (-23)see attached form 1360-33 (.4) history of flight: on April 30, 2001, at 1850 mountain standard time, a Bellanca 14-19, N521A, caught fire and exploded while making a precautionary landing at Casa Grande Municipal Airport (cgz), Casa Grande, Arizona. T he airplane was destroyed and the certificated airline transport pilot and one of his two passengers received serious injuries. The second passenger sustained serious thermal burns and succumbed to her injuries 20 days after the accident. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight by the owner/pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91 when the accident occurred. The local flight had originated from chandler municipal airport (chd), chandler, Arizona, about 1830. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed. The front seat passenger reported that a fluid leak had developed from an area behind the right side of the instrument panel, and was dripping on the floor near the rudder pedals. The pilot stated that the fluid was coming from an inspection panel on the firewall and that the fluid was clear. The pilot then pulled back the power slowly and headed for Casa Grande airport and subsequently attempted a precautionary landing in order to determine the extent of the problem. The passenger described the touchdown and rollout as normal until an explosion occurred, which filled the cabin area with flames. A second witness, who was downwind in the traffic pattern, stated that the airplane had landed without incident on runway 05. It was on rollout when flames appeared from beneath the forward part of fuselage. Seconds later, as the airplane slowed near a taxiway, the cabin exploded with a bright flash. The right cabin door was blown open and the airplane ground looped. The airplane ran off the left side of the runway before reentering the runway and coming to a stop on a bearing of 110 degrees. Witnesses on the ground reported seeing flames coming out of the front-bottom portion of the airplane before hearing a "pop" in conjunction with the explosion inside the cockpit. The passenger in the back seat exited the airplane and was followed by the pilot who had been in the left front seat. When the pilot realized that the right front seat passenger had not exited, he reentered the cabin and helped her out of the airplane. The airport-based fire fighters responded within 2 minutes; however, the airplane had become completely engulfed in flames before it could be extinguished. The fire department attributed the fire to gasoline. All three occupants initially received serious thermal injuries.