WPR19TA186

After the pilot advanced the throttle for takeoff, the engine lost all power and a fire erupted in the engine compartment of the experimental amateur-built airplane, causing substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. Construction of the airplane was completed almost 31 years before the accident, and the airplane sat idle for the 15 years leading up to its last inspection, about 8 months (33 flight hours) before the accident. The fire appeared to originate in the area of the gascolator and engine-driven fuel pump, an area that would have experienced relative movement between the engine and airframe while in operation. The airplane was equipped with rubber fuel hoses, none of which appeared to have been replaced since the airplane was built. It is likely that the hoses, due to their excessive age, degraded and became brittle over time, resulting in a fuel leak and eventual fire.

On June 30, 2019, about 1715 Pacific daylight time, an experimental amateur-built SH II Glasair airplane, N279G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at San Bernardino International Airport (SBD), San Bernardino, California. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot stated that he had landed at SBD and spent about 20 minutes taxiing and observing the west ramp area of the airport. He then proceeded to runway 24 and, after performing an uneventful run-up, taxied to the hold-short line behind a waiting Cessna airplane. After the Cessna had departed, the pilot was granted a clearance to line up and wait. After receiving clearance to take off, he pushed the throttle forward, and the engine lost all power. Smoke then began to waft out of the oil filler door on the cowling, and both the pilot and the passenger immediately exited the airplane. The smoke became more intense, and eventually flames erupted from the engine compartment. According to the pilot, the fire was extinguished by the airport fire department upon their arrival about 10 minutes later. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the engine was largely free of thermal damage forward of the aft section of the engine cooling baffles. The carburetor was similarly undamaged along with the alternator and propeller. Most of the thermal damage was in the section between the baffle and the firewall and was particularly extensive in the lower left area surrounding the engine-driven fuel pump and the firewall-mounted gascolator. The top of the gascolator was consumed by fire, along with the hose fittings connecting the gascolator to the carburetor and fuel tank. Similarly, the fittings connecting the fuel pump to the fuel pressure gauge and carburetor had been consumed. The fuel pump remained attached to the accessory case of the engine but had sustained thermal damage, exposing its pumping chamber. According to maintenance logbooks, construction of the airplane was completed in August 1988, and the airplane then accrued 296.1 hours of flight time through March 1994. The logbooks indicated an annual inspection was then completed on October 13, 2018, during which time no components, except for the emergency locator transmitter battery, were replaced. The pilot then flew the airplane for 33 hours up until the accident. There were no entries in any of the logbooks indicating that either the engine-driven fuel pump or any of the fuel hoses had been replaced. The fuel lines forward of the firewall appeared to be constructed of steel-braided rubber hose covered with fire sleeve. Their manufacturer could not be determined. "Service Life Limits:... Rubber Hose in Engine Compartment or in Fire Zone: FAA document AC20-7A states that Rubber Hose used on aircraft in the engine compartment or fire zone should not be used after 5 years following the in servicedate...".