What happened
During the climbout phase following takeoff, the pilot encountered an engine fire. In response to the emergency, the pilot diverted the aircraft to Chicago's Midway Airport to perform an emergency landing.
The pilot followed established emergency procedures, which included shutting down the engine, cutting off the fuel supply, and disconnecting all electrical loads. As the pilot approached the runway, the gear down position was selected using the gear handle. However, for safety reasons, the pilot elected not to verify that the landing gear was in the down and locked position.
The landing gear failed to extend, resulting in a gear-up landing. It had been reported that the landing gear would drop when the gear handle was activated.
The investigation
Following the accident, the aircraft was jacked up and cleared from the runway before an investigator reached the scene. An examination of the engine compartment revealed that the fire originated from a loose line fitting on a fuel injector nozzle. This loose fitting allowed raw fuel to spray into the engine compartment, specifically onto the turbo-charger.