- Date
- April 2, 1982, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Savannah, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N25MAPiper PA-31P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 2, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820402029239I
- Case key
- 72560
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During flight, electrical fumes, smoke and sparks began emitting from the circuit breaker panel immediately left of the pilot's seat. The pilot was forced to move to the right seat. He tried to suppress the sparks with a chemical fire extinguisher and tried to isolate the source of the electrical fire, but was unable. He declared an emergency and landed at Savannah, GA. An investigation revealed that fire had destroyed much of the wiring behind the circuit breaker panel and several holes were burned through the fuselage skin. Both over-voltage regulators were burned out and all radios and voltage regulators were destroyed. The battery had over-heated and spewed smoke and fluid from the battery compartment. The circuit breaker panel had been reinstalled without a phenolic spacer on the forward side and was bent inward in that area. This spacer was need to assure space behind the panel. The foam material (lining for additional insulation) had become brittle. A compass system and DME had been installed on 11/16/81.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25MA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31P-31
- Airframe hours
- 1,934
- Engine
- Lycoming TIGO-541-E1A, 425 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Nascar
- Registered owner
- Nascar
- Departed
- DAB · Daytona Beach, FL
- Destination
- INT · Winston-Salem, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,900 total · 150 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 163 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAV
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.