Incident Summary
On a flight from Tucson, Arizona, to Dodge City, Kansas, in good weather conditions, the right engine of a single-engine aircraft caught fire. The pilot shut down the affected engine and, unable to maintain a safe altitude, initiated an emergency landing. The aircraft belly landed in a field near Cliff and came to rest in flames. The pilot, the sole occupant, escaped uninjured. The aircraft was destroyed by the post-crash fire.
Circumstances
The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions. No other aircraft or persons were involved. The emergency landing was intentional with the landing gear retracted. The terrain at the landing site was rough and uneven.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause of the accident was a powerplant fire and explosion in flight due to a cylinder assembly failure. Contributing factors reported include powerplant detonation, fire in the engine, intentional wheels-up landing off airport on land, exhaust system (external supercharger), foreign object damage (warped), rough/uneven terrain, a hole burnt near the number 2 exhaust valve seat, and a density altitude of 7,900 feet.