Posted for "Hoyt A. Fleming" <hoyt@parklegal.com>:


Subject: Details on the Static Discharge that Totaled '03 Lancair ES


So that similar "incidents" can be avoided, I would like to describe the
incident that totaled my Lancair ES.  For those of you that attended the
last Lancair fly-in, my Lancair ES was the one with the custom EFIS system
right next to the Lancair tent.

I was not present at the incident, thus I do not have first hand knowledge
of the facts.  However, the story, as related to me by a well-respected
painter, follows:

The painter began sanding on the left wing, which was nearly empty of fuel.
In the process he removed the fuel cap.  Then he replaced the fuel cap but
did not lock it.  After about 4 hours of sanding with an pneumatic sander,
the painter used an air gun to blow the sanding residue off of the wing.
The left wing then exploded.  The painter was not hurt.  A small fire
started in the fuselage near the spar interconnect.   This fire was not
noticed by the painter for about 15 minutes.  (There was lots of smoke and
the painter was probably in shock.) The fire was then extinguished.

Other facts:

1) The plane was not grounded.
2) I have never known the painter to smoke.
3) The painter was using a paint solvent to soften the paint.  The solvent
states on the container that the solvent can cause flash fires.

I speculate that a static discharge ignited the left wing tank.  However,
the exact sequence of events that caused the explosion is not known.  The
painter does not remember if he touched an area near the gas cap just before
the explosion.

I hope that this information is useful and will help Lancair
builders/operators avoid similar incidents that destroy thousands of hours
of work.

As for me, I will not be building another plane for a while.  I just don't
have it in me at this time.

Hoyt Fleming