NTSB CAROL · Event
Event BFO90LA009
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
CRACKED FUEL FLOW INDICATOR FUEL LINE WHICH ALLOWED FUEL TO COME IN CONTACT WITH ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHICH RESULTED IN A FIRE.
Factual narrative
JUST AFTER TAKEOFF, WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 1,000 FEET, THE PLT BEGAN TO SMELL SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT ATC TO RETURN TO LAND, THE PLT SHUT DOWN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. HE STATED THAT HE SAW FLAME COMING FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THAT THE SMOKE WORSENED. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE AT THE RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE PLT EVACUATED THE ACFT ON THE RWY AND THE INTERIOR TO THE ACFT AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WERE DESTROYED BY FIRE AND HEAT BY TIME THE FLAMES WERE EXTINGUISHED. INSPECTION OF THE ACFT DISCLOSED A CRACKED FUEL LINE WHICH RAN TO THE FUEL FLOW INDICATOR ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THIS LINE WAS CRACKED IN THE AREA OF THE CABIN LIGHT RHEOSTAT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_BFO90LA009.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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