ERA14LA178

The pilot reported that, after the airplane lifted off after several touch-and-go landings, he suddenly smelled fuel and observed streaming fuel. The fuel appeared to come from the fuel system header tank area and streamed onto the cockpit floor between his feet. He landed the airplane straight ahead and taxied clear of the active runway. The airplane caught fire, and the pilot exited through the cockpit door. Within a minute, the airplane was engulfed in flames. Airport rescue personnel responded and extinguished the fire. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that almost all of the fuel lines going to or coming from the header tank were completely burned away. Two sections of fuel and vent lines remained attached to the header tank and were examined; no evidence of pre-existing fatigue or cracking was observed. According to the pilot, who was also the owner, no recent maintenance had been performed in the area of the header tank. It is likely that a sudden leak occurred at a line to or from the header tank; however, the fire destroyed all evidence of its origin.

On March 30, 2014, about 1415 central daylight time (CDT), a Bellanca 8KCAB, N11FS, caught fire after landing at Stennis International Airport (HSA), Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The private pilot received minor injuries and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was operated by the pilot. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Gulfport, Mississippi (MS82) about 1315. The pilot reported the following. He was flying in the local traffic pattern at HSA and performing touch-and-go landings on runway 18. After the 14th touch-and-go landing, he climbed straight ahead over the runway. About 200 feet above the ground, he suddenly smelled fuel fumes, and observed fuel streaming onto the cockpit floor, between his feet. The fuel stream appeared to originate from the header tank. He turned off the magnetos and electrical master switch and landed straight ahead on the runway. He taxied clear of the runway and observed fire. He exited through the cockpit door and, within about a minute, the airplane was engulfed in flames. Airport rescue fire fighter personnel responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. On March 31, 2014, an inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and examined the wreckage. He reported that the right wing was totally destroyed by the fire. The airplane was equipped with a header tank in the fuel system. All lines to and from the header tank were completely or partially burned away. The tank has numerous holes which appeared to have resulted from the fire and heat. On April 8, 2014, the NTSB Investigator-in-Charge (IIC) traveled to the hangar where the wreckage was stored and examined the wreckage. The purpose of the examination was to look for potential sources of a fuel leak. With the pilot present, the header tank was removed from the airframe and examined. The tank sustained significant heat and fire damage and numerous holes in the tank walls were observed. A section of the fuel pickup line (part number 1-10089) and its fitting and a section of a fuel vent line (part number 7-1414-10) and its fitting remained attached to the tank; however, they were damaged from heat and fire. All other fuel lines associated with the header tank were completely burned away. The damaged lines and fittings were removed from the tank and forwarded to the NTSB Materials Laboratory, Washington, DC for further examination. The fuel lines and fittings that were removed from the header tank were examined at the NTSB Materials Laboratory on June 3, 2014. Optical examinations of the two fuel line fractures revealed features consistent with overstress separations while the lines were at elevated temperatures. No indications of fatigue or other preexisting cracking was uncovered. According to the pilot, who was also the airplane owner, no recent maintenance in the area of the header tank had beenperformed.