# Incident 19980420010949I: Cessna 172M, Grand Forks, ND, April 20, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 20, 1998, 23:30 local time
- Place: Grand Forks, ND
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.9196° N, 97.0873° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Grand Forks, ND, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.9196&lon=-97.0873&mi=10
- Aircraft: N61876, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N61876) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172M (registry code 2072418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172M
- Reported engine: LYC O320H2AD
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 545 total, 400 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980420010949I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON APRIL 20, 1998, AT 2330 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 172M, N61876, OPERATED BY A COMMERCIAL PILOT SUSTAINED NO DAMAGE DURING CRUISE AND LANDING. AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CAUSED SMOKE TO ENTER THE COCKPIT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT HAD BEEN OPERATING ON A VFR FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT, CO-PILOT AND PASSENGER REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, GRAND FORKS, ND AT 2320 LOCAL TIME. AFTER A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENT AIRWORTHINESS IS CONSIDERED A FACTOR IN THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT. AN ELECTRICAL CABLE FROM THE ALTERNATOR HAD SHORTED, CAUSING SMOKE TO ENTER THE COCKPIT AREA.

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.

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