- Date
- October 9, 1994, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Moro, AR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N8181LCessna 172H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 4, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941009034409A
- Case key
- 19281
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
Engine compartment fire due to undetermined reasons.
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
After landing, power was applied to turn the aircraft around, and the engine made a sound and died. A restart was attempted, then smoke was observed coming out of the engine cowling. The aircraft was consumed by fire within 10 minutes. The source of the fire could not be determined.
Factual narrative
On October 9, 1994, at 1530 central daylight time, a Cessna 172H, N8181L, was destroyed while taxiing at a private airstrip near Moro, Arkansas. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight.
The pilot reported the following information. After a normal landing, when power was applied during taxiing to turn the airplane around, the engine made a sound and died. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, again a sound was heard, and then smoke and flames were observed coming out of the engine cowling. The airplane burned in less than 10 minutes. The pilot recalled smelling gas in the cockpit on the day of the accident.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the area forward of the firewall received very little thermal damage, and there was evidence of heat in the airbox. The cabin heat was on, and it appeared that flames traveled through the heater ducting into the cabin. The source of the fire could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8181L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17256381
- Engine
- Continental IO-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mitchell, Terry L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 1M1 · Little Rock, AR
- Airport
- PVT · J & S Air Service
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 635 total · 450 in this make and model · 613 as pilot in command · 86 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °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 N8181L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.