# Incident 20180817014399I: Piper PA-28-161, Okeechobee, FL, August 17, 2018

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 17, 2018, 09:15 local time
- Place: Okeechobee, FL
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Taxi
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Location: 27.2416° N, 80.8293° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Okeechobee, FL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.2416&lon=-80.8293&mi=10
- Aircraft: N557PU, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N557PU) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-161
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 72 total, 72 in this make and model, 28 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180817014399I

## Narrative

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

ON AUG 17 AT 1315Z, N557PU A PIPER PA-28-161 WHILE HOLDING SHORT RUNWAY 14 REPORTED FIRE COMING FROM ENGINE COWLING. PILOT DEPLOYED FIRE SUPPRESSANT. AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED TO RAMP. NO INJURIES. AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS MINOR.

MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND THE STARTER RELAY HAD STUCK CLOSED DURING ENGINE START. THIS KEPT THE STARTER ENGAGED, WHICH OVERSPEED THE STARTER AND THE STARTER CAUGHT FIRE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE STARTER RELAY, STARTER, ALTERNATOR AND THE ALTERNATOR FIELD AND INOP WIRES. THEY REPLACED THE STARTER AND ALTERNATOR, SPLICED IN NEW FIELD AND INOP WIRES. RUN UP CHECK GOOD, WORK COMPLETE.

SDR-ECPR2018090480128

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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