# Incident 20121016026949I: Maxfield John SONEX, Belleville, MI, October 16, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 16, 2012, 18:04 local time
- Place: Belleville, MI
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.1985° N, 83.4800° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Belleville, MI, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.1985&lon=-83.4800&mi=10
- Aircraft: N50NX, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N50NX) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Maxfield John SONEX (registry code 0563108, https://openairdocs.org/model/maxfield-john-sonex) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Aeroconver AEROVEE (registry code 01401, https://openairdocs.org/engine/aeroconver-aerovee) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MAXFIELD JOHN SONEX
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 12,996 total, 1 in this make and model, 63 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121016026949I

## Narrative

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

ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2012 AT 6:04PM EASTERN TIME, AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR-BUILT SONEX, DEPARTED THE DETROIT WILLOW RUN AIRPORT (KYIP) RUNWAY 23L. WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET, THE PILOT DECLARED EXPERIENCING SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. THE AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT FOR LANDING ON KYIP RUNWAY 14. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE COULDN'T MAKE IT TO RUNWAY 14 AND LANDED ON THE WEST RAMP TAXIWAY "B". THE PILOT WAS UNINJURED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED TO THE HANGARS ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT WHERE IT IS BASED. THE PILOT REPORTED NO INJURIES AND DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT IS LIMITED TO A BURNED WIRE NEAR THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR.THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT FOR THIS AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT REPORTED BEING THE BUILDER. HE REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN GROUND RUN SEVEN OR EIGHT TIMES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT.THE GAUGE OF THE WIRE THAT CONNECTS THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR AND THE BATTERY APPEARS TO BE SMALL IN COMPARISON TO THE LOAD CARRIED, HOWEVER, THE SIZE OF THE WIRE IS NOT SPECIFIED IN THE MANUFACTURER ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS. THE WIRE WAS CONNECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MANUFACTURER'S WIRING DIAGRAMS AND INSTRUCTIONS.

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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