# Incident 19780920018899I: Piper 600ASMITH, Sikeston, MO, September 20, 1978

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 20, 1978, 23:05 local time
- Place: Sikeston, MO
- Airport: Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Starting Engines
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Location: 36.8837° N, 89.5872° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Sikeston, MO, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.8837&lon=-89.5872&mi=10
- Aircraft: N90501, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N90501-1981-10-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Smith AEROSTAR 600 (registry code 8360602, https://openairdocs.org/model/smith-aerostar-600) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER 600ASMITH
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 6,200 total, 185 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19780920018899I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

EXPLOSION HEARD DURING ENGINE START, PILOT MISTOOK FOR BACKFIRE, BEGAN FLIGHT. LATER FOUND EXHAUST TUNNELS DAMAGED.

## Other reports on N90501 (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19790322008029A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790322008029A), Mar 22, 1979: Piper 600SMITH (N90501), Sikeston, MO, Substantial damage. Engine failed. Found improper temporary repair to engine air induction duct.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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