Narrative:

In cruising flight en route from louisiana to southwest florida, aircraft engine was using more fuel than normal, also engine was showing on the rich/lean gauge that it was running excessively lean even though the mixture control was in full rich position. When you stop and analyze this it makes no sense. The excessively lean mixture indicating that the engine was obtaining insufficient fuel and the fuel gauges dropping rapidly indicating that excessive fuel was burning in-flight. Then I received a note in the mail from the hose company that the fuel pressure hoses were failing. After about 3 yrs they should be replaced, according to manufacturer. Our engine and fuel lines had only 164 hours total time since everything was replaced, and we thought that because of the low time on the fuel lines that they were ok. Not true. They deteriorate with age, not use. Anyway, we checked fuel screens and mixture control etc, and then attempted to fire up the engine. It started but would not run on the ground. Ran 3 or 4 seconds and died. Suddenly it caught on fire, and we put it out rapidly by turning off the fuel and hitting it with fire bottles. But of course it was a defective fuel pressure line hose, which had been leaking in-flight all over the engine. Yet, we never smelled raw gasoline in-flight. We strongly recommend that all fuel pressure lines on fuel injected engines be replaced per bulletins to that effect, to prevent fire in-flight. Do it now. It was frightening! Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter was en route from louisiana to fmy when the fuel mixture anomaly occurred. He stopped en route for fuel and had no problem. It wasn't until arrival at fmy that he decided to troubleshoot the problem further and had his fabric covered single engine aircraft catch fire. Ground personnel responding with fire extinguishers were able to put out the fire with very little damage to the aircraft. The bulletin he refers to came from the fuel hose manufacturer. He is unaware of any airworthiness directive note from the FAA.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA HAS FUEL LEAK IN ENG COMPARTMENT INFLT. ENG CATCHES FIRE WHEN ACFT IS ON GND.

Narrative: IN CRUISING FLT ENRTE FROM LOUISIANA TO SW FLORIDA, ACFT ENG WAS USING MORE FUEL THAN NORMAL, ALSO ENG WAS SHOWING ON THE RICH/LEAN GAUGE THAT IT WAS RUNNING EXCESSIVELY LEAN EVEN THOUGH THE MIXTURE CTL WAS IN FULL RICH POS. WHEN YOU STOP AND ANALYZE THIS IT MAKES NO SENSE. THE EXCESSIVELY LEAN MIXTURE INDICATING THAT THE ENG WAS OBTAINING INSUFFICIENT FUEL AND THE FUEL GAUGES DROPPING RAPIDLY INDICATING THAT EXCESSIVE FUEL WAS BURNING INFLT. THEN I RECEIVED A NOTE IN THE MAIL FROM THE HOSE COMPANY THAT THE FUEL PRESSURE HOSES WERE FAILING. AFTER ABOUT 3 YRS THEY SHOULD BE REPLACED, ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER. OUR ENG AND FUEL LINES HAD ONLY 164 HRS TOTAL TIME SINCE EVERYTHING WAS REPLACED, AND WE THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE OF THE LOW TIME ON THE FUEL LINES THAT THEY WERE OK. NOT TRUE. THEY DETERIORATE WITH AGE, NOT USE. ANYWAY, WE CHKED FUEL SCREENS AND MIXTURE CTL ETC, AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO FIRE UP THE ENG. IT STARTED BUT WOULD NOT RUN ON THE GND. RAN 3 OR 4 SECONDS AND DIED. SUDDENLY IT CAUGHT ON FIRE, AND WE PUT IT OUT RAPIDLY BY TURNING OFF THE FUEL AND HITTING IT WITH FIRE BOTTLES. BUT OF COURSE IT WAS A DEFECTIVE FUEL PRESSURE LINE HOSE, WHICH HAD BEEN LEAKING INFLT ALL OVER THE ENG. YET, WE NEVER SMELLED RAW GASOLINE INFLT. WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ALL FUEL PRESSURE LINES ON FUEL INJECTED ENGS BE REPLACED PER BULLETINS TO THAT EFFECT, TO PREVENT FIRE INFLT. DO IT NOW. IT WAS FRIGHTENING! CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR WAS ENRTE FROM LOUISIANA TO FMY WHEN THE FUEL MIXTURE ANOMALY OCCURRED. HE STOPPED ENRTE FOR FUEL AND HAD NO PROB. IT WASN'T UNTIL ARR AT FMY THAT HE DECIDED TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROB FURTHER AND HAD HIS FABRIC COVERED SINGLE ENG ACFT CATCH FIRE. GND PERSONNEL RESPONDING WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHERS WERE ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH VERY LITTLE DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. THE BULLETIN HE REFERS TO CAME FROM THE FUEL HOSE MANUFACTURER. HE IS UNAWARE OF ANY AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE NOTE FROM THE FAA.

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.