NTSB Factual Report

On June 21, 2008, about 1230 central daylight time, an amateur-built Morrison E-Racer, N345JM, was destroyed by an in-flight and subsequent post landing ground fire at the Aurora Municipal Airport (ARR), Aurora, Illinois. The personal cross-country flight was being conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot was not injured. The flight departed ARR shortly before the accident, with an intended destination of Frasca Field Airport (C16), Urbana, Illinois.

The pilot reported departing normally from runway 27 (6,501 feet by 100 feet, concrete). However, on initial climb after takeoff, when the airplane was at 2,000 feet mean sea level about 1 mile from the airport, the engine speed started decreasing. He turned on the secondary fuel pump, and notified the air traffic control tower that he was experiencing an engine problem and was returning to the airport. The engine speed increased approximately 200 revolutions per minute (rpm), to about 1,950 rpm, before it lost power completely. Shortly afterward, the cockpit began to fill with smoke. The pilot elected to secure the engine, and turn off the fuel pumps and fuel valve. He informed the air traffic controller about the smoke in the cockpit and was immediately cleared to land. A few seconds later he noticed that a fire had started in the cockpit near the firewall. Visibility and breathing were difficult due to the smoke.

The pilot successfully continued an approach to the departure runway, intermittently losing visual contact with the runway due to the smoke in the cockpit. On short final, he realized that the airplane was not properly lined up with the runway. He applied full left aileron and rudder inputs in an attempt to correct; however, the aileron control failed at that time. The airplane landed hard and flat, on all three wheels, collapsing the left main landing gear. The airplane spun around and came to a rest about 1,500 feet from the runway threshold. The pilot successfully evacuated the airplane, which was consumed by the fire.

The post accident examination was unable to locate the exact source of the fire. The pilot commented that the extent and rapid progression of the fire was consistent with a failure in the high-pressure fuel system.

NTSB Probable Cause

An undetermined failure in the high-pressure fuel system, and the subsequent loss of engine power and in-flight fire. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's restricted visibility due to the smoke in the cockpit, failure of the aileron control during landing flare, and the collapse of the left main landing gear due to the hard landing.