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20030212005829I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Beech 99 · Sheboygan, WI · February 12, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 12, 2003 · 07:15 local
Place
Sheboygan, WI
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
KCQA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N199CZ
Reported as
Beech 99
Pilot’s flight hours
2,700 total600 in this make and model90 in the last 90 days
N199CZRegistered now · Beech 99S/N U-30 · Built 1968Airframe modelBeech 99Engine modelU/A Canada PT6 SER 578HPTurbo-prop

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) At approximately 1315 GMT/0715 CST, N199CZ a Beechcraft model 99 piloted by scott markel, operated by freight runners express (acqa), in part 135 cargo operation, experienced smoke/flames coming from the right cockpit side panel over Sheboygan, WI while enroute from general mitchell field (mke) to menominee, mi (mnm). The pilot declared an emergency and was cleared to land at manitowoc, WI (mtw). Upon landing the pilot found the right brake was inoperative and used reverse thrust to stop. The pilot evacuated the aircraft without injury. The fire department immediately entered the aircraft and found the fire had extinguished. Inspection of the cockpit right side panel area found that the fire had been caused by corrosion due to long term water/de-ice fluid intrusion through the right cockpit side window. Corrosion/deterioriation of the heat sink, utilized to mount the in-line reverse current diodes for the 60 amp feed lines to the cockpit main electrical buss, caused extreme heat and eventual arching of one diode. The heat/arching was sufficient to ignite a plastic drain line installed in the right side panel area. The burning drain line then ignited hydraulic fluid that had accumulated in the lower area of the right side panel, which then caused the failure of the right brake hydraulic line.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 1315 GMT/0715 CST, N199CZ A BEECHCRAFT MODEL 99 PILOTED BY SCOTT MARKEL, OPERATED BY FREIGHT RUNNERS EXPRESS (ACQA), IN PART 135 CARGO OPERATION, EXPERIENCED SMOKE/FLAMES COMING FROM THE RIGHT COCKPIT SIDE PANEL OVER SHEBOYGAN, WI WHILE ENROUTE FROM GENERAL MITCHELL FIELD (MKE) TO MENOMINEE, MI (MNM). THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND WAS CLEARED TO LAND AT MANITOWOC, WI (MTW). UPON LANDING THE PILOT FOUND THE RIGHT BRAKE WAS INOPERATIVE AND USED REVERSE THRUST TO STOP. THE PILOT EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT INJURY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IMMEDIATELY ENTERED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND THE FIRE HAD EXTINGUISHED. INSPECTION OF THE COCKPIT RIGHT SIDE PANEL AREA FOUND THAT THE FIRE HAD BEEN CAUSED BY CORROSION DUE TO LONG TERM WATER/DE-ICE FLUID INTRUSION THROUGH THE RIGHT COCKPIT SIDE WINDOW. CORROSION/DETERIORIATION OF THE HEAT SINK, UTILIZED TO MOUNT THE IN-LINE REVERSE CURRENT DIODES FOR THE 60 AMP FEED LINES TO THE COCKPIT MAIN ELECTRICAL BUSS, CAUSED EXTREME HEAT AND EVENTUAL ARCHING OF ONE DIODE. THE HEAT/ARCHING WAS SUFFICIENT TO IGNITE A PLASTIC DRAIN LINE INSTALLED IN THE RIGHT SIDE PANEL AREA. THE BURNING DRAIN LINE THEN IGNITED HYDRAULIC FLUID THAT HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE LOWER AREA OF THE RIGHT SIDE PANEL, WHICH THEN CAUSED THE FAILURE OF THE RIGHT BRAKE HYDRAULIC LINE.