# Incident 20080220013799I: Amtr CHALLENGERII, Reform, AL, February 20, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 20, 2008, 09:30 local time
- Place: Reform, AL
- Airport: North Pickens
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Other Ground Ops
- Operating rules: Ultralight vehicle (Part 103)
- Location: 33.3868° N, 88.0066° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at NORTH PICKENS (3M8), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.3868&lon=-88.0066&mi=10
- Aircraft: N239RC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N239RC-2013-03-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Calhoun Wesley R CHALLENGER II (registry code 05903FG, https://openairdocs.org/model/calhoun-wesley-r-challenger-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 582SER (registry code 55556, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582ser) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR CHALLENGERII
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX582
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 52 total, 52 in this make and model, 52 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080220013799I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON FEBRUARY 20, 2008, AT 0930 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN OWNER OF AN ULTRALIGHT AIRPLANE WAS REFUELING HIS AIRPLANE WHEN STATIC ELECTRICITY IGNITED THE FUEL AND THE AIRPLANE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE OWNER'S RIGHT HAND RECEIVED 3RD DEGREE BURNS AND HIS CLOTHES AND FACE HAD MINOR BURNS. THE OWNER STATED THAT HE PUSHED THE AIRPLANE OUT OF THE HANGAR ONTO A CONCRETE SLAB TO BE REFUELED. HE INSERTED A MR. FUNNEL INTO THE PLANE'S TEN GALLON PLASTIC FUEL TANK. HE STARTED FUELING THE AIRPLANE FROM A 500 GALLON METAL FUEL TANK THAT HAD A REGULAR SERVICE STATION TYPE HOSE AND NOZZLE ASSEMBLY. HE PUMPED ABOUT 7 TENTHS OF A GALLON OF FUEL WHEN HE NOTICED AN ORANGE DOT INSIDE THE FUNNEL. HE THREW THE HOSE AWAY AND GOT OUT FROM UNDER THE AIRPLANE'S WING. HE RAN 30 FEET AND CLOSED THE HANGAR DOOR, FEARING THE GASOLINE WOULD EXPLODE. HE RAN BACK TO THE AIRPLANE AND PUSHED IT AWAY FROM THE HANGAR AND ONTO THE RUNWAY, WHERE IT COLLAPSED IN LESS THAN 3 MINUTES.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.