# Accident 20000511012949A: Cessna 172H, Picayune, MS, May 11, 2000 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 11, 2000, 16:25 local time - Place: Picayune, MS - Airport: Picayune Municipal Airport - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Normal Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 32.7419° N, 89.6792° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7419&lon=-89.6792&mi=10 - Aircraft: N5107G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5107G-2000-12-14) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 172H (registry code 2072424, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172h) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172H - Reported engine: CONT O300D - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 700 total, 690 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA00LA150](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA150) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000511012949A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) A/C DEPARTED LAKEFRONT AIRPORT, LA AT APPROX 16:00 HRS LOCAL ON 5/11/00 ENROUTE TO PICAYUNE AIRPORT (M76) WHEN THE A/C ARRIVED IN THE AIRPORT AREA OF M76 HE NOTICED SMOKE THEN FIRE COMING FROM UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE PILOT STATED HE SHUT OFF FUEL AND THE ENGINE QUIT. HE LANDED HARD JUST SHORT OF RWY 18. THE A/C CAME TO A STOP IN MIDDLE OF RWY 18 APPROX 138 FEET FROM BEGINNING OF RWY 18. HE AND A PASSENGER EXITED A/C AND AC BURNED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED.THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION INCLUDED REPRESENTATIVES FROM CESSNA AND CONTINENTAL MOTORS. THE A/C COCKPIT, FUSELAGE, AND TAIL SECTION WERE CONSUMED BY FIRE. BOTH WINGS WERE BURNED AT THE INBOARD SECTION. NOTE: THERE WERE TWO TRIPS TO THE ACCIDENT BY THE FAA INSPECTOR. (.4)ON MAY 11, 2000, AT ABOUT 1625 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 172H, N5107G, REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE OWNER, OPERATING AS A 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT FIRE IN THE VICINITY OF PICAYUNE, MISSISSIPPI. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, (NEW) ABO UT 25 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PRIVATE PILOT STATED THAT HE DEPARTED NEW AT ABOUT 1600, FOR THE VFR LOCAL FLIGHT. HE WAS OVER FLYING THE PICAYUNE AIRPORT AT 2,500 FEET WHEN HE OBSERVED SMOKE COMING UP FROM BEHIND THE FIREWALL FOLLOWED BY FLAMES. HE IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE OFF AND MADE A FORCED LANDING TO THE RUNWAY. HE AND THE PASSENGER EXITED THE AIRPLANE UNINJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE PILOT STATED IN THE NTSB PILOT/OPERATOR AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT THAT HE DROPPED OFF HIS FRIEND AT THE PICAYUNE AIRPORT, TOOK OFF, AND EXPERIENCED THE SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AT ABOUT 500 FEET. AFTER MAKING A SAFE LANDING AT THE AIRPORT, HE GOT OUT OF THE AIRPLANE AND RAN A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE PLANE. STATEMENT PROVIDED BY THE PILOT OR HIS PASSENGER TO THE PEARL COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT DOES NOT SUBSTANTIATE THE PILOT'S STATEMENT (FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE PEARL COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT REPORT, AN ATTACHMENT TO THIS REPORT.) EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME, FLIGHT CONTROLS, ENGINE ASSEMBLY AND ACCESSORIES BY THE FAA AND PARTIES OT THE NTSB INVESTIGATION COULD NOT DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF THE REPORTED IN-FLIGHT FIRE. (FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE AIRCRAFT MISHAP REPORT CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY, TELEDYNA CONTINENTAL POWER PLANT EXAMINATION, AND FAA INSPECTOR STATEMENT ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REPORT.) ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA00LA150](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA150), May 11, 2000: Cessna 172H (N5107G), Picayune, MS, destroyed. Probable cause: An in-flight fire in the vicinity of the firewall from an undetermined source. This resulted in a forced landing to an airport and total consumption of the airplane by fire after landing. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.