20080507832329I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172M · Santa Rosa, CA · May 7, 2008

Date: May 7, 2008 · 14:00 local
Place: Santa Rosa, CA
Airport: Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma Cou
Phase of flight: Descent
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N12161
Reported as: Cessna 172M
Reported engine: Lycoming O320*
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 805 total460 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

N12161Registered now · Cessna 172MS/N 17261851 · Built 1973 Airframe modelCessna 172M 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) The flight instructor was giving lessons to a student pilot. He stated that he and his student were starting to smell fumes in the cockpit. As they were only a mile away from the airport pattern, they continued into the airport and advised the Santa Rosa tower of their situation. Upon landing the fire department had responded to the aircraft. Pictures of the aircraft showed only minor damage inside the lower cowling of the Cessna. It appeared that the wires to the landing light may have arced and started an electrical fire. There were no injuries to either flight instructor or student. No on-scene investigation was conducted.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS GIVING LESSONS TO A STUDENT PILOT. HE STATED THAT HE AND HIS STUDENT WERE STARTING TO SMELL FUMES IN THE COCKPIT. AS THEY WERE ONLY A MILE AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT PATTERN, THEY CONTINUED INTO THE AIRPORT AND ADVISED THE SANTA ROSA TOWER OF THEIR SITUATION. UPON LANDING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD RESPONDED TO THE AIRCRAFT. PICTURES OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED ONLY MINOR DAMAGE INSIDE THE LOWER COWLING OF THE CESSNA. IT APPEARED THAT THE WIRES TO THE LANDING LIGHT MAY HAVE ARCED AND STARTED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO EITHER FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR OR STUDENT. NO ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED.