A BE E90 KING AIR FO RPTS THAT HE HAD A CABIN FIRE INFLT.

Date: 1997-04 · Aircraft: King Air C90 E90

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|other-unspecified

Synopsis

A BE E90 KING AIR FO RPTS THAT HE HAD A CABIN FIRE INFLT.

Narrative

LIFEGUARD FLT TO FFZ. AMBULATORY PATIENT AND 2 FLT NURSES ON BOARD. I WAS OBSERVER/CO-CAPT. AT FL200 WE SMELLED TOXIC FUMES/SMOKE. FLT NURSE DETECTED HEAT AROUND EMER EXIT. HE PULLED POCKETS AWAY FROM BULKHEAD UNDER EMER EXIT; FOUND AREA OF CHARRED; BUBBLING WALL WITH SOME SMOKE COMING OUT. WE DECLARED EMER; DSNDED; BROKE OUT OXYGEN; SMOKE GOGGLES; DIVERTED TO INW; ASKED FOR EMER EQUIP TO MEET US. DOING A RAPID DSCNT WE HEADED FOR RWY 22 AT INW. WE RAN THROUGH CHKLISTS; BRIEFED PAX ON EMER EXIT OF ACFT. WE LANDED ON RWY 22; FULL STOPPED ON RWY; SHUT DOWN; EXITED ACFT. BROKE OUT FIRE EXTINGUISHER FOR A FLASH FIRE. PAX WERE WELL AWAY FROM ACFT. THE BUBBLING AND SCORCHING HAD STOPPED SOMETIME ON DSCNT. UNABLE TO FIND A CAUSE OF THE SCORCHING. NOTHING BEHIND THE BULKHEAD. A REAL MYSTERY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FIRE REMAINS A MYSTERY. THERE ARE NO ELECTRICAL LINES; NO HYD LINES; NO OXYGEN LINES IN THE AREA THAT MELTED. THERE IS A FLUORESCENT LIGHT BALLAST NEARBY; BUT IT HAD NOT OVERHEATED. THE ACFT HAS HAD A NEW INTERIOR PUT IN. PARTS OF THE OLD TRIM WERE TESTED WITH A BLOW TORCH BY THE OPERATOR. THE TRIM DID NOT BURN; JUST AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO. PARTS OF THE TRIM HAVE BEEN SENT TO A LAB; ALSO USED BY THE NTSB; FOR FURTHER TESTING. 'ATC WAS FANTASTIC!' SAID THE RPTR. ATC CALLED INW PRIOR TO THE CREW'S ARR WHO CALLED OUT THE FIRE DEPT. THE FIRE DEPT HAD LOST ITS KEY TO THE ARPT GATE AND HAD TO DRIVE THROUGH THE FENCE. THE FIRE DEPT ARRIVED AT THE RWY BEFORE THE ACFT. THE RPTR HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE FAA ON THIS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.