Incident Overview
A pilot on a spraying flight experienced an emergency when smoke and fire suddenly filled the cockpit. The pilot was en route to a field located 3 miles from the staging airstrip. The incident began when an unusual noise was heard in the cockpit. Seconds later, smoke and flames emerged from underneath the instrument panel.
Emergency Response
The pilot executed an emergency landing at the staging airstrip. After landing, the pilot exited the burning airplane. The aircraft sustained fire damage to the cockpit and center section of the airframe.
Examination Findings
A post-incident examination of the instrument panel revealed that a fuel line for the fuel flow meter had been burnt out of the instrument. Several fire-damaged electrical wires were found in the immediate vicinity of the fuel line. The proximity of these wires to the fuel line indicates a potential source of ignition, but no causal determination is made in this report.