20051016024949I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-140 · Nebraska City, NE · October 16, 2005

Date: October 16, 2005 · 17:45 local
Place: Nebraska City, NE
Airport: Nebraska City Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Starting Engines
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N115JA
Reported as: Piper PA28140
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0

N115JARegistered now · Piper PA-28-140S/N 28-22953 · Built 1967 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-140 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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) Engine backfired during start causing the left exhaust stack to separate from the muffler. The pilot was unaware of the defect after start and proceeded to takeoff from (afk). Immediately after takeoff the pilot started having smoke and fumes in the cockpit. The pilot made an emergency landing at (afk) without incident. Post incident inspection revealed the separation of the exhaust stack from the muffler causing an overheat condition. The exhaust gases melted the wiring at the firewall seal which caused the smoke and fumes in the cockpit. All damage was forward of the firewall and consisted of: the starter solenoid and oil temperature wire. Numerous other wires had heat damage at the firewall seal. The paint on the cowling was slightly discolored however the aircraft never caught fire.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ENGINE BACKFIRED DURING START CAUSING THE LEFT EXHAUST STACK TO SEPARATE FROM THE MUFFLER. THE PILOT WAS UNAWARE OF THE DEFECT AFTER START AND PROCEEDED TO TAKEOFF FROM (AFK). IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT STARTED HAVING SMOKE AND FUMES IN THE COCKPIT. THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT (AFK) WITHOUT INCIDENT. POST INCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED THE SEPARATION OF THE EXHAUST STACK FROM THE MUFFLER CAUSING AN OVERHEAT CONDITION. THE EXHAUST GASES MELTED THE WIRING AT THE FIREWALL SEAL WHICH CAUSED THE SMOKE AND FUMES IN THE COCKPIT. ALL DAMAGE WAS FORWARD OF THE FIREWALL AND CONSISTED OF: THE STARTER SOLENOID AND OIL TEMPERATURE WIRE. NUMEROUS OTHER WIRES HAD HEAT DAMAGE AT THE FIREWALL SEAL. THE PAINT ON THE COWLING WAS SLIGHTLY DISCOLORED HOWEVER THE AIRCRAFT NEVER CAUGHT FIRE.