# Incident 19980730036409I: Cessna 550, Charlottesville, VA, July 30, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 30, 1998, 09:30 local time
- Place: Charlottesville, VA
- Airport: Charlottesville-Albemarle
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.1396° N, 78.4523° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHARLOTTESVILLE-ALBEMARLE (CHO), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.1396&lon=-78.4523&mi=10
- Aircraft: N665MC (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 550
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,850 total, 200 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980730036409I

## Narrative

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

AFTER DEPARTED FROM SWF, ENROUTE TO CLT AT FLIGHT LEVEL 310, THE FLIGHT CREW SMELLED A PUNGENT ELECTRICAL FIRE ODOR, THEN SAW SMOKE IN THE CABIN.  THE FLIGHT CREW DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND DIVERTED TO CHO, SELECTING NON-ESSENTIAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS OFF.  THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT ON RUNWAY 03 AND TAXIED TO THE RAMP.  LOCAL MAINTENANCE INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND IDENTIFIED THE SMELL AND SMOKE AS COMING FROM THE CABIN FLUORESCENT LIGHTING INVERTERS.  NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE WAS FOUND.  THE AEROSPACE LIGHTING CORPORATION INVERTERS, PART NUMBER 18-996 AND 18-994 (1 EACH), WERE DISCONNECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF AD 95-22-01 AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE.  THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO IT'S HOME BASE, AT THE NEW YORK CESSNA CITATION SERVICE CENTER (CRS #1W1R233Q), AND THE PROBLEM WAS ISOLATED TO THE ALC 18-996 INVERTER, SERIAL NUMBER 6597.  THE REPAIR STATION WILL COMPLETE A MALFUNCTION OR DEFECT REPORT.  THE CESSNA AIRCRAFT CORPORATION AND AEROSPECE LIGHTING CORPORATION WILL BE PERFORMING A TEARDOWN INSPECION OF THIS INVERTER.  THE AIRCRAFT IS REPORTEDLY BEING CONVERTED TO A NEWER CABIN LIGHTING SYSTEM.  A COPY OF THE TEARDOWN REPORT WILL BE SENT TO THIS OFFICE WITH A COPY FORWARDED TO ACE-115C.

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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