- Date
- December 20, 1989, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N117CCCessna 310Q
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891220052129A
- Case key
- 14608
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
The undetermined engine compartment fire during the initial climbout. A factor was the failure of the pilot to shut off the fuel supply to the engine.
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
The airplane was about 3.5 miles from the departure airport when the pilot noticed smoke in the cockpit. The smoke was the result of a fire in the right engine nacelle. The pilot stated that he shut down and feathered the right engine and returned to the airport for an emergency landing. Due to the extensive heat and fire damage, investigators were unable to determine the origin of the fire. Post-accident investigation revealed that the pilot had not shut off the fuel to the engine, which increased the intensity of the damage. The airplane had been maintained in accordance with federal regulations and all applicable AD notes had been accomplished. The forced landing was successful; despite overrunning the runway end, no damage occurred during landing. The fire continued to burn after the pilot escaped and caused substantial wing damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N117CC
- Reported as
- Cessna 310Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310Q0696
- Airframe hours
- 4,600
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-VO, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Grand Rapids Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 30, 1989 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- GRR · Grand Rapids, MI
- Destination
- 8D4 · Sparta, MI
- Airport
- GRR · Grand Rapids-Kent County, runway 18, 3,400 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,224 total · 26 in this make and model · 597 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRR
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.