# Incident 19950610018399I: Piper PA32RT300T, Porterville, CA, June 10, 1995 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 10, 1995, 12:43 local time - Place: Porterville, CA - Airport: Porterville Municipal Airport - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 36.0296° N, 119.0627° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PORTERVILLE MUNI (PTV), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0296&lon=-119.0627&mi=10 - Aircraft: N21372, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N21372) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-32RT-300T (registry code 7103216, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32rt-300t) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA32RT300T - Reported engine: LYC TIO540S1AD - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 18,000 total, 50 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950610018399I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. NARRATIVE: ON 6-10-95 AT APPROXIMATELY 1243 PDT, A PIPER PA-32RT-300T MODEL AIRCRAFT, N21372, REGISTERED TO UNITED INVESTMENT TECHNOLOGY OF DELAWARE AND OPERATED BY ROBERT J. CULLEN ^PRIVACY DATA OM^ WAS OPERATING AS A JUMP PLANE (FOUR SKYDIVERS WERE ABOARD ON TAKEOFF) UNDER FAR PART 91 REQUIREMENTS WHEN THE FOLLOWING INCIDENT OCCURRED AT THE PORTERVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (PTV) IN PORTERVILLE, CA. THE PILOT, MR. CULLEN , CONVEYED TO THE REPORTING AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR (ASI) WHO WAS THE FAA IIC, THAT ON CLIMB OUT WITH A DIRECTIONAL HEADING OF 280 DEGREES, AT APPROXIMATELY 700' AGL, HE BEGAN TO SMELL AN ACRID ODOR. IT WAS NOT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE TYPE OF SMELL, BUT MORE LIKE A RUBBER OR FIBERGLASS BURNING SMELL. AT ABOUT 850'AGL THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED A "SEVERE ENGINE MISS", AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, HE HEARD A "POP" COMING FROM THE ENGINE. AT 900'AGL HE EXPERIENCED THE ENGINE MAKING A LOUD "DEEP/THROATY" SOUND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ; AT THIS POINT THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT AN AIRSPEED OF 120 KNOTS. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE CABIN TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO INCREASE RAPIDLY AND FLAMES WERE VISIBLE OVER THE ENGINE COWLING AND CAME RIGHT UP TO THE WINDSHIELD AND THE COCKPIT BEGAN TO FILL WITH A WHITE/BLUE COLORED SMOKE. THE PILOT CUT OFF THE FUEL MIXTURE HOPING TO STOP FEEDING THE FIRE, BUT THE FIRE CONTINUED. THE FOUR SKYDIVERS ELECTED TO JUMP FROM THE AIRCRAFT AT THE 900' AGL ALTITUDE WHEN THEY DISCOVERED THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED BY THE SKYDIVERS. THE PILOT STATED WITH THE REDUCED LOAD IT WAS EASIER FOR HIM TO MANEUVER THE AIRCRAFT. HE MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN AND HEADED BACK TOWARD THE AIRPORT. AT APPROXIMATELY 150' AGL AND 90 KNOTS AIRSPEED, THE PILOT SELECTED THE LANDING GEAR LEVER TO THE DOWN POSITION, BUT DUE TO THE FIRE THERE WAS NO ELECTRICAL POWER,AND THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO USE THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR (MANUAL) EXTENSION SYSTEM. THE AIRCRAFT'S INITIAL IMPACT WAS ON ITS BELLY ON A GRASS SURFACE 25' WEST OF RUNWAY 30. THE MOMENTUM BROUGHT THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDING ONTO THE RUNWAY WHERE IT CAME TO REST IN THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE; THE BELLY WAS SCRAPED, BUT SINCE THE MAJOR BRUNT OF THE IMPACT WAS IN A GRASS FIELD PRIOR TO REACHING THE RUNWAY, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE ONLY OTHER NOTABLE DAMAGE WAS A BENT PROPELLER AND A FIRE DAMAGED UPPER ENGINE COWLING. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED THROUGH ALL FLIGHT OPERATIONS; THERE WAS NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. THE FLIGHT CREW WAS THE PILOT ONLY--HE WAS NOT INJURED. THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ A MALFUNCTION AND DEFECT REPORT WILL BE FORTHCOMING. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THIS INCIDENT REPORT IS CONSIDERED CLOSED. ## Other reports on N21372 (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20091220053469I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20091220053469I), Dec 20, 2009: Piper PA-32RT-300 (N21372), Corona, CA, Minor damage. N21372 a PA32RT300T during rollout rwy 25 at Corona Airport nose gear collasped. There was minor damage to prop and nose cowl. No injuries to the pilot who was… - [Incident 19790905034489I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790905034489I), Sep 5, 1979: Piper PA32RT300T (N21372), El Paso, TX. Pilot returned due to low airspeed indications, found dirt dobber had plugged the pitot system. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.