20240913014179I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Gummere John D SONEX · Monroe, LA · September 13, 2024

Date
September 13, 2024 · 18:51 local
Place
Monroe, LA
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N741X
Reported as
Gummere John D Sonex
Reported engine
JABIRU 3300A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
540 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot stated: returning from local flight in the sterlington area. Given clearance to land and entered right downwind for rnw 32. Landed on 32 and the engine quit during the roll-out. Attempted to restart engine. On the second attempt the tower said they saw some fire. No fire was observed from the cockpit. After a short time smoke was noted coming from the cowling. I closed the main fuel valve, pulled the mixture out, and switched on the master and eis. We exited the aircraft (privacy data omitted was along). By this time the smoke was getting worse and some melted rubber/fiber glass was dripping from the bottom of the cowling. By this time the fire truck was heading out. When the truck arrived I talked to the firemen to see what we could do to stop the fire. The fire appeared to be located between the rear of the engine and the fire wall. Getting water to this area was di??icult. Spraying water into the front of the cowling wasn’t working. They were able to get water into this area through the fuel door at the rear of the cowling. Once the fire was out we pulled the airplane to the h taxi way oof the main runway (32/14). I removed the cowling to make sure the fire was out. I also checked to make sure that there wasn’t any fuel or oil leaking. There didn’t appear to be any damage to the fuel or oil lines. The airplane was pulled back to the t-hangars.

Investigation revealed that the fire started near the carburetor and consumed the air filter and burned upwards between the rear of the engine and the firewall. Wiring harnesses, hoses, and vent lines located on the rear of the engine were heavily damaged. The engine itself does not appear to be damaged nor does the airframe. The privacy data omitted stated he is going to remove the engine and send to the manufacturer for inspection. Pilot reported that he 'pumped the throttle' a couple of times whenever he tried to restart the engine.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT STATED: RETURNING FROM LOCAL FLIGHT IN THE STERLINGTON AREA. GIVEN CLEARANCE TO LAND AND ENTERED RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RNW 32. LANDED ON 32 AND THE ENGINE QUIT DURING THE ROLL-OUT. ATTEMPTED TO RESTART ENGINE. ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT THE TOWER SAID THEY SAW SOME FIRE. NO FIRE WAS OBSERVED FROM THE COCKPIT. AFTER A SHORT TIME SMOKE WAS NOTED COMING FROM THE COWLING. I CLOSED THE MAIN FUEL VALVE, PULLED THE MIXTURE OUT, AND SWITCHED ON THE MASTER AND EIS. WE EXITED THE AIRCRAFT (^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ALONG). BY THIS TIME THE SMOKE WAS GETTING WORSE AND SOME MELTED RUBBER/FIBER GLASS WAS DRIPPING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE COWLING. BY THIS TIME THE FIRE TRUCK WAS HEADING OUT. WHEN THE TRUCK ARRIVED I TALKED TO THE FIREMEN TO SEE WHAT WE COULD DO TO STOP THE FIRE. THE FIRE APPEARED TO BE LOCATED BETWEEN THE REAR OF THE ENGINE AND THE FIRE WALL. GETTING WATER TO THIS AREA WAS DI??ICULT. SPRAYING WATER INTO THE FRONT OF THE COWLING WASN’T WORKING. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET WATER INTO THIS AREA THROUGH THE FUEL DOOR AT THE REAR OF THE COWLING. ONCE THE FIRE WAS OUT WE PULLED THE AIRPLANE TO THE H TAXI WAY OOF THE MAIN RUNWAY (32/14). I REMOVED THE COWLING TO MAKE SURE THE FIRE WAS OUT. I ALSO CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WASN’T ANY FUEL OR OIL LEAKING. THERE DIDN’T APPEAR TO BE ANY DAMAGE TO THE FUEL OR OIL LINES. THE AIRPLANE WAS PULLED BACK TO THE T-HANGARS.

INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE FIRE STARTED NEAR THE CARBURETOR AND CONSUMED THE AIR FILTER AND BURNED UPWARDS BETWEEN THE REAR OF THE ENGINE AND THE FIREWALL. WIRING HARNESSES, HOSES, AND VENT LINES LOCATED ON THE REAR OF THE ENGINE WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED. THE ENGINE ITSELF DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE DAMAGED NOR DOES THE AIRFRAME. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HE IS GOING TO REMOVE THE ENGINE AND SEND TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR INSPECTION. PILOT REPORTED THAT HE 'PUMPED THE THROTTLE' A COUPLE OF TIMES WHENEVER HE TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE.