# Incident 20060504007879I: Cessna 172P, New Bedford, MA, May 4, 2006

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 4, 2006, 21:30 local time
- Place: New Bedford, MA
- Airport: New Bedford Municipal
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: V04S
- Location: 41.6766° N, 70.9578° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at NEW BEDFORD RGNL (EWB), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.6766&lon=-70.9578&mi=10
- Aircraft: N51250, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N51250-2010-02-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172P (registry code 2072436, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172P
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,020 total, 400 in this make and model, 22 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060504007879I

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON MAY 5, 2006 PILOT IN COMMAND ^PRIVACY DATA OMI^ REPORTED TO THE NEW ENGLAND FAA COMMUNICATIONS CENTER THAT HE HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AN INFLIGHT FIRE INCIDENT THE PREVIOUS NIGHT OUT OF NEW BEDFORD AIRPORT (EWB). THE PIC STATED A FEW MOMENTS AFTER TAKEOFF CLIMBING THROUGH 3500 FT MSL ABOUT 7 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT THEY IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE LOW VOLTAGE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND HEARD A LOUD BANG, ALL THE LIGHTS DIMMED AND THE RADIOS SHUT DOWN. WITNESS STATEMENTS FROM BOTH PIC AND SIC REPORTED BRIGHT YELLOW ARCING AROUND THE ENGINE COWL FOLLOWED BY SPARKS COMING FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE COWL, UP AND OVER THE WINDSCREEN. BOTH PILOTS STATED THEY COULD SMELL SMOKE AND AN ELECTRICAL SMELL IN THE CABIN AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE RADIOS CAME BACK ON BUT WEAK, THE PIC DECLARED AN EMERGENCY TO KEWB TOWER AND RECEIVED CLEARANCE TO LAND STRAIGHT IN ON RUNWAY 5. UPON SHUTTING DOWN THE MASTER AND ELECTRICAL SWITCHES THE SPARKS STOPPED COMING FROM THE ENGINE COWLING. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT NIGHT IN VMC CONDITIONS.

## Other reports on N51250 (3)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20070726015809I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070726015809I), Jul 26, 2007: Cessna 172P (N51250), Newport, RI, Substantial damage. (-23) While attempting to land runway 22 at uuu, student pilot over-corrected yaw control due to a gust of wind, sending the aircraft off the paved runway,…
- [Accident 19840915048769A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19840915048769A), Sep 15, 1984: Cessna 172P (N51250), Seguin, TX, Substantial damage. Stalled aircraft after premature liftoff. Descended onto runway and flipped over. Student claimed windshift.
- [Incident 19810919076949I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19810919076949I), Sep 19, 1981: Cessna 172P (N51250), Key West, FL, Minor damage. Pilot forced to land when windshield popped out.

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.

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