20100712038579I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cirrus Desi SR20 · Duluth, MN · July 12, 2010

Date: July 12, 2010 · 17:30 local
Place: Duluth, MN
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N126AC
Reported as: Cirrus Desi SR20
Reported engine: TCM IO-360-ES
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,550 total2,500 in this make and model250 in the last 90 days

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.

The aircraft was certificated as experimental and was performing a research and development mission for the type certificate holder, the Cirrus design corp. factory. The factory test pilot performing factory first test flight of aircraft with experimental wiring harness installed. Factory working with FAA aco for modification to type design. Approximately 4 minutes after takeoff, fault indication was illuminated for electrical system. Electrical system faults cascaded into multiple faults and pilot landed without incident. Aircraft taxiied to company hangar and engine stopped running spontaneously. Smoke was then visible coming from the cowling. The top cowl was removed and a fire burning the wiring harness was extinguished.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS CERTIFICATED AS EXPERIMENTAL AND WAS PERFORMING A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT MISSION FOR THE TYPE CERTIFICATE HOLDER, THE CIRRUS DESIGN CORP. FACTORY. THE FACTORY TEST PILOT PERFORMING FACTORY FIRST TEST FLIGHT OF AIRCRAFT WITH EXPERIMENTAL WIRING HARNESS INSTALLED. FACTORY WORKING WITH FAA ACO FOR MODIFICATION TO TYPE DESIGN. APPROXIMATELY 4 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, FAULT INDICATION WAS ILLUMINATED FOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAULTS CASCADED INTO MULTIPLE FAULTS AND PILOT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. AIRCRAFT TAXIIED TO COMPANY HANGAR AND ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING SPONTANEOUSLY. SMOKE WAS THEN VISIBLE COMING FROM THE COWLING. THE TOP COWL WAS REMOVED AND A FIRE BURNING THE WIRING HARNESS WAS EXTINGUISHED.