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19971014033769I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-140 · Killeen, TX · October 14, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 14, 1997 · 18:17 local
Place
Killeen, TX
Airport
Killeen Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4434J
Reported as
Piper PA28140
Reported engine
Lycoming O320E2A
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
451 total193 in this make and model34 in the last 90 days
N4434JRegistered now · Piper PA-28-140S/N 28-22838 · Built 1967Airframe modelPiper PA-28-140Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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: on October 14, 1997 at 1817 hours CDT, a Piper PA-28-140, N4434J, operated on a part 91 flight departed Killeen Municipal Airport (ile) Killeen, Texas on a local flight. Immediately after takeoff the commercial pilot smelled an electrical fire, then noticed smoke coming from the aircraft cowling. A hole was melted in the top cowling and flames were seen coming from this area. The pilot turned the aircraft 180 degrees and returned to the runway he had just departed from and landed without further damage. The aircraft suffered minor damage and there were no injuries. The airport fire department responded and the aircraft was secured. The fire was caused by a hole in the muffler allowing flames to burn the accessory section of the engine compartment. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. This office considers this incident closed. None of these issues are involved. The incident was beyond the pilots control, and the muffler was not evident at the last inspection.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON OCTOBER 14, 1997 AT 1817 HOURS CDT, A PIPER PA-28-140, N4434J, OPERATED ON A PART 91 FLIGHT DEPARTED KILLEEN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (ILE) KILLEEN, TEXAS ON A LOCAL FLIGHT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF THE COMMERCIAL PILOT SMELLED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE, THEN NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE AIRCRAFT COWLING. A HOLE WAS MELTED IN THE TOP COWLING AND FLAMES WERE SEEN COMING FROM THIS AREA. THE PILOT TURNED THE AIRCRAFT 180 DEGREES AND RETURNED TO THE RUNWAY HE HAD JUST DEPARTED FROM AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE AIRPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS SECURED. THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY A HOLE IN THE MUFFLER ALLOWING FLAMES TO BURN THE ACCESSORY SECTION OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED AND VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THIS OFFICE CONSIDERS THIS INCIDENT CLOSED. NONE OF THESE ISSUES ARE INVOLVED. THE INCIDENT WAS BEYOND THE PILOTS CONTROL, AND THE MUFFLER WAS NOT EVIDENT AT THE LAST INSPECTION.