The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) yesterday issued a safety notice calling for owners and operators of Beechcraft Barons to inspect their heater fuel lines.
The notice has been issued in conjunction with the investigation into the fatal crash of Baron VH-NPT at Kununurra in April last year, which bore resemblance to a 2014 in-flight fire in another Baron near Gove.
VH-NPT was on a flight from Broome to Kununurra when fire broke out in the cabin as the aircraft neared its destination. Despite an extinguisher being used to put out the fire it returned, filling the cockpit with smoke and obscuring the pilot's vision. The aircraft crashed about 800 m from the threshold of runway 12.
The pilot was able to extricate themselves and the passenger from the aircraft, but the passenger later died from their injuries.
ATSB investigators examining the burnt-out wreckage of the Baron noted that both engines had been developing power and that the undercarriage was still retracted. This was consistent with the pilot's report of the wheels not extending in the moments before the fire broke out.
Although the investigation is not yet complete, the ATSB noticed similarities between this accident and another one in 2014 where electrical wiring had chaffed through the heater fuel supply line, causing it to arc and burn a hole in the fuel line.
"It is important to stress that the ATSB’s investigation into the Kununurra accident is on-going, and we are yet to make formal findings as to the accident’s contributing factors,” explained ATSB Director Transport Safety Stuart Macleod
“However, given what we do understand of this accident, we believe it is prudent for Baron operators to examine the area below the pilot’s circuit breaker panel and areas forward of this under the instrument panel.
“The ATSB also encourages operators to report any identified issues to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the aircraft manufacturer.”
Safety Notice AO-2022-026-SAN-001 encourages operators of Barons to conduct a detailed inspection of the heater fuel supply line and wiring, focusing specifically on the area below the pilot’s circuit breaker panel and areas forward of that under the instrument panel.
The safety notice also directs owners to a Hawker Beechcraft communique of June 2008 warning of wire chafing in BE36 Bonanzas.
The preliminary investigation report and the safety notice are on the ATSB website.