Jamie Hull

And then I'm operating in the pattern again in the afternoon.

So just flying a small sort of rectangular pattern within that local Florida airspace.

And my engine flared up externally.

I noticed my first alert, if you were looking at left-hand canopy window, saw a thin streak of visible yellow-orange flame.

I'd looked and looked again.

I thought, shit, this is what I think it is.

I've got to get this aircraft down.

And as I made my final turn into wind now towards the active runway below, but in the distance, the fire breached the cockpit internally.

And I'm really having to think on my feet.

My mind is racing initially and there's a little bit of initial panic going on.

And I'm descending, descending.

As it breached, as I turned into wind, I looked down at my feet on the rudder pedal and I could see the flames starting to lap around my feet and my ankles.

So that's what I first saw down low.

And I'm having to think on my feet.

But literally, I got to the drop, if you will, the descent on to about 500 feet.

So I dropped from a thousand feet indicated in the pattern.

down to about 500 feet.

And the fire, I kid you not, was about halfway up within the small chamber of the cockpit.

So I'm like, Jesus, I'm like, I've got to get this aircraft down.

And literally, what I'm thinking is I've got to get it down quicker than the norm.