19960521015219I

Incident

FAA incident report · Cessna 170A · Fairbanks, AK · May 21, 1996

Date
May 21, 1996 · 14:40 local
Place
Fairbanks, AK
Airport
Fairbanks International
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N5448C
Reported as
Cessna 170A
Reported engine
Continental O300D
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
180 total180 in this make and model10 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.

Narrative: this was a flight made for pilot training with a CFI. The owner was flying the aircraft and the flight instruction area was not reached. At aprox. 900' on climb-out and on the first flight following an annual inspection the pilot noticed smoke coming into the cabin from the cabin heat inlet. He checked cabin heat secured closed and called the twr for emergency return. On the landing approach the smoke dissipated and the landing was uneventful. The investigation found the aircraft had made the flight immediately following an annual inspection. It was found a small amount of engine cleaning solvent had remained in the heat muff and had not completely drained or evaporated prior to the flight. The ground runup following the annual inspection and the ground runup prior to the flight did not produce any smoke. Only after flying speed was gained and air pressure pushed air through the heat muff did the smoke develop.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THIS WAS A FLIGHT MADE FOR PILOT TRAINING WITH A CFI. THE OWNER WAS FLYING THE AIRCRAFT AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTION AREA WAS NOT REACHED. AT APROX. 900' ON CLIMB-OUT AND ON THE FIRST FLIGHT FOLLOWING AN ANNUAL INSPECTION THE PILOT NOTICED SMOKE COMING INTO THE CABIN FROM THE CABIN HEAT INLET. HE CHECKED CABIN HEAT SECURED CLOSED AND CALLED THE TWR FOR EMERGENCY RETURN. ON THE LANDING APPROACH THE SMOKE DISSIPATED AND THE LANDING WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE INVESTIGATION FOUND THE AIRCRAFT HAD MADE THE FLIGHT IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. IT WAS FOUND A SMALL AMOUNT OF ENGINE CLEANING SOLVENT HAD REMAINED IN THE HEAT MUFF AND HAD NOT COMPLETELY DRAINED OR EVAPORATED PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. THE GROUND RUNUP FOLLOWING THE ANNUAL INSPECTION AND THE GROUND RUNUP PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT DID NOT PRODUCE ANY SMOKE. ONLY AFTER FLYING SPEED WAS GAINED AND AIR PRESSURE PUSHED AIR THROUGH THE HEAT MUFF DID THE SMOKE DEVELOP.