# Incident 20031005032009I: Cessna 172N, Lititz, PA, October 5, 2003

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 5, 2003, 14:18 local time
- Place: Lititz, PA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.1540° N, 76.3043° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Lititz, PA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.1540&lon=-76.3043&mi=10
- Aircraft: N734HL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N734HL-2018-01-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172N (registry code 2072434, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172N
- Reported engine: LYC O320D2B
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031005032009I

## Narrative

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

(-23) WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT CREW OBSERVED VOLTAGE REGULATOR NEEDLE INCREASE OFF SCALE. NEXT, CREW HEARD A POPPING SOUND FROM BEHIND THE FUEL GAUGE. CREW ALSO NOTED A SMALL FLASH OF LIGHT FROM BEHIND THE FUEL GAUGE FOLLOWED BY SOME SMOKE. PILOT STATED THAT HE THEN SHUT DOWN ALL ELECTRICAL POWER AND OPENED WINDOWS TO VENT SMOKE. HAND HELD RADIO WAS USED TO DECLARE EMERGENCY, FLEW TO LANCASTER, THE CLOSEST AIRPORT, AND COMPLETED AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING. AIRCRAFT THEN TAXIED TO FBO RAMP UNDER ITS OWN POWER. POST FLIGHT INSPECTION INDICATES THAT THE FUEL GAUGE SHORTED INTERNALLY CAUSING AN OVERLOAD TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, DAMAGING THE ALTERNATOR AND SOME ASSOCIATED WIRING. CIRCUIT BREAKER PROTECTION DID NOT FUNCTION AS DESIGNED.

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.