Primary finding
Probable cause
Failure of a metal fuel line, resulting in an explosion.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
Immediately after takeoff, the pilot experienced an explosion in the tail of the mig-17t. He returned to the field and the fire was extinguished by the fire department. Inspection revealed that an aluminum fuel line in the aft section had experienced metallurgical failure. The owner advised all other mig-17 operators to replace that, and other, fuel lines with stainless steel lines.
Source record
Factual narrative
On March 1, 1994, at 1330 Pacific standard time, a Mikoyan- Gurevich MiG-17T, N306DM, sustained substantial damage after an in-flight fire shortly after takeoff from the Aurora, Oregon, airport. The ATP pilot, who was the sole occupant of the aircraft, was uninjured. No flight plan was filed for the local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that the former military jet fighter, operated under experimental exhibition category provisions, had .9 hours on the engine since overhaul. He used an afterburner takeoff from runway 17 at Aurora. Climbing through about 500 feet, he felt an explosion and rudder vibration, pulled back the power, and selected afterburner off. He declared an emergency, returned to the airport, landing within a couple minutes of takeoff, where the fire department put out the fire. Investigation revealed that an alloy fuel line failed, allowing fuel to flow aft, where an electrical invertor in the tail ignited the fuel. Damage due to the fire was substantial. -