20080125847669I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-31T · Caro, MI · January 25, 2008

Date: January 25, 2008 · 09:30 local
Place: Caro, MI
Airport: Tuscola Area
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N411DL
Reported as: Piper PA31T
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 14,000 total250 in this make and model75 in the last 90 days

N411DLRegistration cancelled Apr 18, 2017 · Piper PA-31TS/N 31T7720057 · Built 1977 Airframe modelPiper PA-31T Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A seriesTurbo-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) PIC observed master caution light illuminate while in cruise at 12,500' between cfs and fnt, followed by several circuit breakers tripping, smoke in the cockpit, and an electrical system failure. PIC returned to departure airport and made an emergency landing. Electrical fire started in Area of generator overvoltage relays. Fire burned through relay covers and numerous wires were damaged/melted.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PIC OBSERVED MASTER CAUTION LIGHT ILLUMINATE WHILE IN CRUISE AT 12,500' BETWEEN CFS AND FNT, FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL CIRCUIT BREAKERS TRIPPING, SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT, AND AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE. PIC RETURNED TO DEPARTURE AIRPORT AND MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. ELECTRICAL FIRE STARTED IN AREA OF GENERATOR OVERVOLTAGE RELAYS. FIRE BURNED THROUGH RELAY COVERS AND NUMEROUS WIRES WERE DAMAGED/MELTED.