Narrative:

First officer (please excuse my writing; my hands were burned quite badly in the fire). We were in level cruise at FL410. Then we saw lightning in front of us and it appeared that there was a cell directly in front of the path of the aircraft. We asked at ZTL if FL430 was available and they said to climb to FL430. We did so after approximately 308 mins. While on autoplt I was looking at the en route chart. I attempted to turn up the reostat on the captain's map light. When the light went out, I instructed the copilot to check the circuit breaker to see if one had popped; it had. I told him to reset it. Immediately sparks flew from the map light and I told the copilot to pull the breaker. He did, but it was too late. The light appeared to melt before my eyes and within 3 seconds there was a flame like a blowtorch coming out of the light. I initially tried to beat out the flames with my hands, to no avail. I then went on O2 and started an emergency descent, nd instructed my copilot to inform ZTL we had smoke in the cockpit and were making an emergency descent. ZTL told us to squawk 7700 and began vectoring us to the nearest airport, anderson, sc. They were also calling out traffic to us. While I was flying and trying to beat out the fire and ripping the upholstery away from the from the first to get at the source. I was yelling to my copilot to give me the fire extinguisher which was located behind and below the copilot's seat. The medic came from the back to try to assist in getting the extinguisher out, but he passed out from the smoke within seconds. I was able to get a can of coke from the beverage locker behind the copilot's seat. I used the coke to extinguish most of the flames. Then I eventually was able to get the extinguisher out to put out the rest of the flames. As we were continuing our descent, I hit the emergency cabin dump, located on the copilot's side of the INS panel (mostly by feel), somewhere around 20100'. Because of the dense smoke in the cabin, the cabin cleared quite a bit. Right away, somewhere around 20000'. ZTL handed us off to another ZTL controller. This is where I have a problem. I believe that ZTL should have given us a discrete frequency to talk to them, because it seemed like they were talking to quite a few other aircraft while there we were with fire and smoke in the cockpit, trying to find an unlit airport, barely able to see out because of smoke and the fact that the windscreen was black with soot. I hate to sound ungrateful, but I think we should have had ZTL's full, undivided attention. They did help save us, but it would have been very easy to lose it at the last min in the hills of sc, trying to find that tiny airport. Anyway, we started to lost communications at approximately 11000' AGL, so we climbed back to about 2000' AGL, and reestablished contact with ZTL. They informed us that we had missed the airport and told us to turn 180 degrees. When we did, I sighted the airport, did the before landing checklist and landed. I taxied off the runway, had the copilot open the cabin door and we got out of the aircraft. There were firemen there right away. There are several things I think I've learned from this incident: 1) there should be a discrete frequency to be used in emergencys. 2) the fire extinguisher should be in a more accessible location. 3) you should give a safety briefing to the passenger on every leg; if nothing else, to remind yourself of where things are and how they work. 4) flying can be dangerous. Thank you for your time and attention.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMS SMT JET AT FL430 EXPERIENCES COCKPIT FIRE, CAPT RECEIVES BURNS TO HANDS IN EMERGENCY DESCENT AND LNDG.

Narrative: F/O (PLEASE EXCUSE MY WRITING; MY HANDS WERE BURNED QUITE BADLY IN THE FIRE). WE WERE IN LEVEL CRUISE AT FL410. THEN WE SAW LIGHTNING IN FRONT OF US AND IT APPEARED THAT THERE WAS A CELL DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE PATH OF THE ACFT. WE ASKED AT ZTL IF FL430 WAS AVAILABLE AND THEY SAID TO CLB TO FL430. WE DID SO AFTER APPROX 308 MINS. WHILE ON AUTOPLT I WAS LOOKING AT THE ENRTE CHART. I ATTEMPTED TO TURN UP THE REOSTAT ON THE CAPT'S MAP LIGHT. WHEN THE LIGHT WENT OUT, I INSTRUCTED THE COPLT TO CHK THE CB TO SEE IF ONE HAD POPPED; IT HAD. I TOLD HIM TO RESET IT. IMMEDIATELY SPARKS FLEW FROM THE MAP LIGHT AND I TOLD THE COPLT TO PULL THE BREAKER. HE DID, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. THE LIGHT APPEARED TO MELT BEFORE MY EYES AND WITHIN 3 SECS THERE WAS A FLAME LIKE A BLOWTORCH COMING OUT OF THE LIGHT. I INITIALLY TRIED TO BEAT OUT THE FLAMES WITH MY HANDS, TO NO AVAIL. I THEN WENT ON O2 AND STARTED AN EMER DSCNT, ND INSTRUCTED MY COPLT TO INFORM ZTL WE HAD SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AND WERE MAKING AN EMER DSCNT. ZTL TOLD US TO SQUAWK 7700 AND BEGAN VECTORING US TO THE NEAREST ARPT, ANDERSON, SC. THEY WERE ALSO CALLING OUT TFC TO US. WHILE I WAS FLYING AND TRYING TO BEAT OUT THE FIRE AND RIPPING THE UPHOLSTERY AWAY FROM THE FROM THE FIRST TO GET AT THE SOURCE. I WAS YELLING TO MY COPLT TO GIVE ME THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER WHICH WAS LOCATED BEHIND AND BELOW THE COPLT'S SEAT. THE MEDIC CAME FROM THE BACK TO TRY TO ASSIST IN GETTING THE EXTINGUISHER OUT, BUT HE PASSED OUT FROM THE SMOKE WITHIN SECS. I WAS ABLE TO GET A CAN OF COKE FROM THE BEVERAGE LOCKER BEHIND THE COPLT'S SEAT. I USED THE COKE TO EXTINGUISH MOST OF THE FLAMES. THEN I EVENTUALLY WAS ABLE TO GET THE EXTINGUISHER OUT TO PUT OUT THE REST OF THE FLAMES. AS WE WERE CONTINUING OUR DSCNT, I HIT THE EMER CABIN DUMP, LOCATED ON THE COPLT'S SIDE OF THE INS PANEL (MOSTLY BY FEEL), SOMEWHERE AROUND 20100'. BECAUSE OF THE DENSE SMOKE IN THE CABIN, THE CABIN CLRED QUITE A BIT. RIGHT AWAY, SOMEWHERE AROUND 20000'. ZTL HANDED US OFF TO ANOTHER ZTL CTLR. THIS IS WHERE I HAVE A PROB. I BELIEVE THAT ZTL SHOULD HAVE GIVEN US A DISCRETE FREQ TO TALK TO THEM, BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE TALKING TO QUITE A FEW OTHER ACFT WHILE THERE WE WERE WITH FIRE AND SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT, TRYING TO FIND AN UNLIT ARPT, BARELY ABLE TO SEE OUT BECAUSE OF SMOKE AND THE FACT THAT THE WINDSCREEN WAS BLACK WITH SOOT. I HATE TO SOUND UNGRATEFUL, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE HAD ZTL'S FULL, UNDIVIDED ATTN. THEY DID HELP SAVE US, BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY EASY TO LOSE IT AT THE LAST MIN IN THE HILLS OF SC, TRYING TO FIND THAT TINY ARPT. ANYWAY, WE STARTED TO LOST COMS AT APPROX 11000' AGL, SO WE CLBED BACK TO ABOUT 2000' AGL, AND REESTABLISHED CONTACT WITH ZTL. THEY INFORMED US THAT WE HAD MISSED THE ARPT AND TOLD US TO TURN 180 DEGS. WHEN WE DID, I SIGHTED THE ARPT, DID THE BEFORE LNDG CHKLIST AND LANDED. I TAXIED OFF THE RWY, HAD THE COPLT OPEN THE CABIN DOOR AND WE GOT OUT OF THE ACFT. THERE WERE FIREMEN THERE RIGHT AWAY. THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS I THINK I'VE LEARNED FROM THIS INCIDENT: 1) THERE SHOULD BE A DISCRETE FREQ TO BE USED IN EMERS. 2) THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER SHOULD BE IN A MORE ACCESSIBLE LOCATION. 3) YOU SHOULD GIVE A SAFETY BRIEFING TO THE PAX ON EVERY LEG; IF NOTHING ELSE, TO REMIND YOURSELF OF WHERE THINGS ARE AND HOW THEY WORK. 4) FLYING CAN BE DANGEROUS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.