19990301016459I

Incident · Destroyed

FAA incident report · Beech E33A · Downers Grove, IL · March 1, 1999

Date: March 1, 1999 · 14:45 local
Place: Downers Grove, IL
Airport: Brookeridge Air Park Airport
Phase of flight: Starting Engines
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N8431B
Reported as: Beech E33A
Reported engine: Continental IO520BA
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0

N8431BRegistration cancelled Nov 20, 2014 · Beech E33AS/N CE-217 · Built 1968 Airframe modelBeech E33A Engine modelContinental IO-520 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.

The aircraft was being leak checked for the first time after maintenance. The owner tried three times to start the aircraft. After the third time, he noticed smoke coming from the front of the aircraft. Upon exiting the aircraft, he saw smoke and flames coming from the area of the rudder pedals. He evacuated the aircraft and got clear of the flames. He contacted the local fire departement via cell phone from the site of the fire.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING LEAK CHECKED FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER MAINTENANCE. THE OWNER TRIED THREE TIMES TO START THE AIRCRAFT. AFTER THE THIRD TIME, HE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT. UPON EXITING THE AIRCRAFT, HE SAW SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE AREA OF THE RUDDER PEDALS. HE EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT AND GOT CLEAR OF THE FLAMES. HE CONTACTED THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTEMENT VIA CELL PHONE FROM THE SITE OF THE FIRE.