FAA issues emergency AD after ground
fire accident involving Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet
17 February 2020
The FAA issued an emergency
airworthiness directive (AD) to remove headset amplifier and microphone
interface circuit card assemblies from the Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet after a fire
accident in December.
On December 27, 2019, a Cirrus SF50
Vision Jet caught fire prior to departure from Santa
Monica Municipal Airport, California, USA. The private pilot was not injured,
and the airplane sustained substantial damage.
Upon arrival at the airplane, the pilot began to perform preflight checks and completed a walkaround. After boarding and closing the cabin door, he continued with the checks and observed haze in the cabin accompanied by a faint smell of smoke. He continued to follow the checklists and after starting the engine, the smoke smell became stronger, and he decided to terminate flight preparations, and have a mechanic examine the airplane.
After completing the engine shutdown, he opened the main cabin door, and began to see smoke issue from the armrest area of the number 5 (right center) passenger seat. A mechanic arrived at the airplane with a fire extinguisher within a few minutes, however the smoke had become dense, and was now streaming out of the cabin door. A few minutes later, flames began to emerge from the cabin, and by 11:55 the cabin was completely engulfed. The fire department arrived at 12:02, and the fire was extinguished.
The airplane sustained extensive thermal damage, with fire consuming the cabin roof and destroying the cabin contents from the aft wall of the parachute (CAPs) enclosure through to the engine inlet nacelle, with fire damage more extensive on the right side of the airframe. Fire had consumed the lower right walls of the cabin down to the wing root, with only composite cloth remaining. The right wing was intact, but sustained thermal damage to the upper skin from the root outboard about 4 ft short of the tip. The left wing, and lower left exterior skins of the cabin were largely free of fire damage.
Upon arrival at the airplane, the pilot began to perform preflight checks and completed a walkaround. After boarding and closing the cabin door, he continued with the checks and observed haze in the cabin accompanied by a faint smell of smoke. He continued to follow the checklists and after starting the engine, the smoke smell became stronger, and he decided to terminate flight preparations, and have a mechanic examine the airplane.
After completing the engine shutdown, he opened the main cabin door, and began to see smoke issue from the armrest area of the number 5 (right center) passenger seat. A mechanic arrived at the airplane with a fire extinguisher within a few minutes, however the smoke had become dense, and was now streaming out of the cabin door. A few minutes later, flames began to emerge from the cabin, and by 11:55 the cabin was completely engulfed. The fire department arrived at 12:02, and the fire was extinguished.
The airplane sustained extensive thermal damage, with fire consuming the cabin roof and destroying the cabin contents from the aft wall of the parachute (CAPs) enclosure through to the engine inlet nacelle, with fire damage more extensive on the right side of the airframe. Fire had consumed the lower right walls of the cabin down to the wing root, with only composite cloth remaining. The right wing was intact, but sustained thermal damage to the upper skin from the root outboard about 4 ft short of the tip. The left wing, and lower left exterior skins of the cabin were largely free of fire damage.
An investigation determined the
probable root cause was a malfunction of the headset amplifier and the
microphone interface circuit card assemblies for the 3.5 millimeter audio and
microphone jacks. This malfunction likely resulted in an electrical short and subsequent
uncontained cabin fire without activating circuit protection.
On February 14, 2020, the FAA issued an emergency AD to disconnect and remove the headset amplifier and microphone interface circuit card assemblies for the 3.5 mm audio and microphone jacks on all Cirrus SF50’s.
On February 14, 2020, the FAA issued an emergency AD to disconnect and remove the headset amplifier and microphone interface circuit card assemblies for the 3.5 mm audio and microphone jacks on all Cirrus SF50’s.
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