19980327036469I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Doug DC932 · Chicago, IL · March 27, 1998

Date: March 27, 1998 · 20:09 local
Place: Chicago, IL
Airport: Chicago-O Hare International
Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules: Foreign air carrier (Part 129)
Operator: ARNF
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: CFTMP
Reported as: Doug DC932
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 176 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.

(-5)Prior to departure the flight crew smelled electrial smoke. The aircraft was taxied clear of the runway. When the cockpit door was opened smoke was observed coming from the overhead panel. The first officer noticed flames from behind the emr. Pwr. Switch. ATC notified emer. Declared an aircraft evaluated. The ingnition swith in the overhead panel was found badly charred and deformed. Smoke and excessive heat damage was evident inside the panel area directly surrounding the ignition switch. Damage included burned wiring at the switch and adjacent terminal blocks. Exact cause of switch failure is undetermined.

As the FAA filed it

(-5)PRIOR TO DEPARTURE THE FLIGHT CREW SMELLED ELECTRIAL SMOKE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED CLEAR OF THE RUNWAY. WHEN THE COCKPIT DOOR WAS OPENED SMOKE WAS OBSERVED COMING FROM THE OVERHEAD PANEL. THE FIRST OFFICER NOTICED FLAMES FROM BEHIND THE EMR. PWR. SWITCH. ATC NOTIFIED EMER. DECLARED AN AIRCRAFT EVALUATED. THE INGNITION SWITH IN THE OVERHEAD PANEL WAS FOUND BADLY CHARRED AND DEFORMED. SMOKE AND EXCESSIVE HEAT DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT INSIDE THE PANEL AREA DIRECTLY SURROUNDING THE IGNITION SWITCH. DAMAGE INCLUDED BURNED WIRING AT THE SWITCH AND ADJACENT TERMINAL BLOCKS. EXACT CAUSE OF SWITCH FAILURE IS UNDETERMINED.