20020425008069I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA32R300 · Marietta, GA · April 25, 2002

Date: April 25, 2002 · 23:30 local
Place: Marietta, GA
Airport: Cobb County-Mccollum Field
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N8002F
Reported as: Piper PA32R300
Reported engine: Lycoming IO540*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 275 total120 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days

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.

(-23) The pilot reported he smelled burnt wiring, and noticed smoke coming from between the transponder and adf. The pilot landed the aircraft and during rollout heard a loud pop noise at which time he turned the avionic master, master switch and all other switches on the side panel to the off position. The pilot reported after he turned on the taxiway he seen flames from under and behind the instrument panel, he stopped the aircraft and ran for a fire extinguisher which he extinguished the fire. Further inspection of the aircraft revealed that the instrument light dimmer assembly is where the smoke and the flames originated. There was no other damage to the aircraft other than the electrical malfunction.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT REPORTED HE SMELLED BURNT WIRING, AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM BETWEEN THE TRANSPONDER AND ADF. THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT AND DURING ROLLOUT HEARD A LOUD POP NOISE AT WHICH TIME HE TURNED THE AVIONIC MASTER, MASTER SWITCH AND ALL OTHER SWITCHES ON THE SIDE PANEL TO THE OFF POSITION. THE PILOT REPORTED AFTER HE TURNED ON THE TAXIWAY HE SEEN FLAMES FROM UNDER AND BEHIND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, HE STOPPED THE AIRCRAFT AND RAN FOR A FIRE EXTINGUISHER WHICH HE EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE INSTRUMENT LIGHT DIMMER ASSEMBLY IS WHERE THE SMOKE AND THE FLAMES ORIGINATED. THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT OTHER THAN THE ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION.