# Incident 19990711022539I: Cessna 152, West Palm Beach, FL, July 11, 1999

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 11, 1999, 10:50 local time
- Place: West Palm Beach, FL
- Airport: Palm Beach County Park Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Starting Engines
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 26.5930° N, 80.0851° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PALM BEACH COUNTY PARK (LNA), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.5930&lon=-80.0851&mi=10
- Aircraft: N49027, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N49027-2013-08-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 152 (registry code 2071835, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 152
- Reported engine: LYC O235L2C
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 350 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990711022539I

## Narrative

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

(-5)ON JULY 11, 1999, MR. TOM WHIDDON, A LANTANA AIR FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, WAS ATTEMPTING TO START N49027. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS FAILED,  MAINTENANCE WAS CALLED AND IT WAS DETERMINED TO INSTALL A GROUND POWER UNIT (GPU) TO START THE AIRCRAFT.  AFTER INSTALLATION OF THE GPU AND A SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPT TO START THE AIRCRAFT, THE MECHANIC SMELLED SMOKE AND A FEW SECONDS LATER A FIRE WAS SPOTTED FROM UNDER THE COWLING.  INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE DISCLOSED THAT THE STARTER BENDIX HOUSING HAD COME LOOSE.  THE AFT END OF THE STARTER HAD ROTATED AND CONTACED THE ENGINE CASE CAUSING A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND A FIRE.  OPERATOR FILED AN M & D REPORT ON THE ENGINE STARTER.  AIRCRAFT NEVER MADE A FLIGHT NOR EVER STARTED.  NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

## Other reports on N49027 (2)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19811212086779I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19811212086779I), Dec 12, 1981: Cessna 152 (N49027), Fairfield, IA, Minor damage. Zd student pilot mistook a soy bean field for the runway. Rough ground caused minor damage. Will recieve more dual.
- [Incident 19800125088909I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19800125088909I), Jan 25, 1980: Cessna 152 (N49027), Amana, IA, Substantial damage. Pilot noted rutted vehicle track crossing sod runway. Pilot positioned controls full down and full brakes.

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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