What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 4/05/2010 the FSDO office received a call from the kagc tower that an aircraft was on fire on the taxiway. Inspectors privacy data omitted, privacy data omitted and privacy data omitted arrived on scene approximately thirty minutes later. The aircraft was in hangar 4, a hangar that pittsburgh institute of aeronautics (pia) uses for training. The left side of the aircraft has signs of extreme heat at the window openings and areas aft of the engine cowling. The windows are melted out of their frames and sagging into the interior. The windshield is melted and draped over the instrument panel. The right side of the aircraft fuselage is destroyed by the fire. Door, window frames and windows, along with exterior skin are missing, consumed by fire. The interior panels, seat covering, overhead and insulation are consumed. The instrument panel is warped forward and downward and all instruments and avionics are destroyed. All electrical wiring is brittle, missing insulating covering. Any knob and switch if constructed from plastic is deformed or consumed. The ship's battery, that is forward of the firewall on the right side, is mollified and the battery case is deformed. The remainder of the engine compartment is in good condition. The only evidence of fire is soot on the underside of the right engine cowl above the battery. Also, the wiring from the battery to the start solenoid is without insulating sleeve and has the appearance of the effects of exposure to high temperature. The start solenoid has the same features. Attempts to determine the origin of high temperature either from electrical high resistance or an ignition source has proved difficult due to the degradation of the cabin section. The crew members stated that they could see molten material dropping from the left side of the instrument panel forward of the radio stack as they exited the aircraft. This material is possibly the source of ignition that consumed the interior and secondary to the source of smoke that prompted the crew to abort the take-off. There was no fire extinguisher on board the aircraft.
As the FAA filed it
ON 4/05/2010 THE FSDO OFFICE RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE KAGC TOWER THAT AN AIRCRAFT WAS ON FIRE ON THE TAXIWAY. INSPECTORS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ARRIVED ON SCENE APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES LATER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN HANGAR 4, A HANGAR THAT PITTSBURGH INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS (PIA) USES FOR TRAINING.THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT HAS SIGNS OF EXTREME HEAT AT THE WINDOW OPENINGS AND AREAS AFT OF THE ENGINE COWLING. THE WINDOWS ARE MELTED OUT OF THEIR FRAMES AND SAGGING INTO THE INTERIOR. THE WINDSHIELD IS MELTED AND DRAPED OVER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE IS DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. DOOR, WINDOW FRAMES AND WINDOWS, ALONG WITH EXTERIOR SKIN ARE MISSING, CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE INTERIOR PANELS, SEAT COVERING, OVERHEAD AND INSULATION ARE CONSUMED. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS WARPED FORWARD AND DOWNWARD AND ALL INSTRUMENTS AND AVIONICS ARE DESTROYED. ALL ELECTRICAL WIRING IS BRITTLE, MISSING INSULATING COVERING. ANY KNOB AND SWITCH IF CONSTRUCTED FROM PLASTIC IS DEFORMED OR CONSUMED. THE SHIP'S BATTERY, THAT IS FORWARD OF THE FIREWALL ON THE RIGHT SIDE, IS MOLLIFIED AND THE BATTERY CASE IS DEFORMED. THE REMAINDER OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS IN GOOD CONDITION. THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF FIRE IS SOOT ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RIGHT ENGINE COWL ABOVE THE BATTERY. ALSO, THE WIRING FROM THE BATTERY TO THE START SOLENOID IS WITHOUT INSULATING SLEEVE AND HAS THE APPEARANCE OF THE EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO HIGH TEMPERATURE. THE START SOLENOID HAS THE SAME FEATURES. ATTEMPTS TO DETERMINE THE ORIGIN OF HIGH TEMPERATURE EITHER FROM ELECTRICAL HIGH RESISTANCE OR AN IGNITION SOURCE HAS PROVED DIFFICULT DUE TO THE DEGRADATION OF THE CABIN SECTION.THE CREW MEMBERS STATED THAT THEY COULD SEE MOLTEN MATERIAL DROPPING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FORWARD OF THE RADIO STACK AS THEY EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. THIS MATERIAL IS POSSIBLY THE SOURCE OF IGNITION THAT CONSUMED THE INTERIOR AND SECONDARY TO THE SOURCE OF SMOKE THAT PROMPTED THE CREW TO ABORT THE TAKE-OFF. THERE WAS NO FIRE EXTINGUISHER ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.