- Date
- March 18, 1993, 17:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Rochester, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N63206Cessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930318035289A
- Case key
- 11917
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A fire in the engine compartment due to over-priming.
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
It was a cold day, and as the airplane had been flown about 45 minutes to an hour earlier, the instructor did not pre-heat the engine. His three attempts to start the engine were unsuccessful, so he decided to pre-heat. He primed the engine, but this attempt was also unsuccessful, so two additional shots of prime were applied. By this time, the battery was ineffective, so the instructor decided that an external start was required. While exiting the airplane, the instructor noticed smoke coming from the cowling. He advised the student to vacate the area, and he shut off the fuel selector before leaving the area to get a fire extinguisher. By the time he had returned with an extinguisher, the fire had spread throughout the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63206
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15077174
- Airframe hours
- 4,977
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bill Law Aviation
- Registered owner
- Steve Aero Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 17, 1992 · 83 hours before
- Departed
- ROC
- Destination
- ROC
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ROC · Greater Rochester Intl
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 407 total · 37 in this make and model · 337 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N63206 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.