19940321006179I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech 200BEECH · Pittsburgh, PA · March 21, 1994

Date: March 21, 1994 · 18:15 local
Place: Pittsburgh, PA
Airport: Greater Pittsburgh International
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N715MA
Reported as: Beech 200BEECH
People aboard: 4
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 9,800 total4,500 in this make and model95 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot related that during descent into pit his aircraft was struck by lightening. The strike occurred at about 13,000 feet MSL and 2 degrees c OAT. The bolt hit the left propeller and exited via the wing trailing edge and tail cone on the "t" tail. When the strike occurred, the aircraft was in IMC conditions with snow. All electrical systems were interrupted with only the battery on line. Many of the circuit breakers on the co-pilot's panel tripped and the cockpit and cabin filled with light smoke. Communication and navigation were restored by resetting the circuit breakers. The generators were also re-set. A manual ILS approach was flown to runway 28 at allegheny county airport with an uneventful landing. Submission of this report closes this incident.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT RELATED THAT DURING DESCENT INTO PIT HIS AIRCRAFT WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTENING. THE STRIKE OCCURRED AT ABOUT 13,000 FEET MSL AND 2 DEGREES C OAT. THE BOLT HIT THE LEFT PROPELLER AND EXITED VIA THE WING TRAILING EDGE AND TAIL CONE ON THE "T" TAIL. WHEN THE STRIKE OCCURRED, THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN IMC CONDITIONS WITH SNOW. ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WERE INTERRUPTED WITH ONLY THE BATTERY ON LINE. MANY OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS ON THE CO-PILOT'S PANEL TRIPPED AND THE COCKPIT AND CABIN FILLED WITH LIGHT SMOKE. COMMUNICATION AND NAVIGATION WERE RESTORED BY RESETTING THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS. THE GENERATORS WERE ALSO RE-SET. A MANUAL ILS APPROACH WAS FLOWN TO RUNWAY 28 AT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT WITH AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING. SUBMISSION OF THIS REPORT CLOSES THIS INCIDENT.