- Date
- October 15, 1982, 19:57 local (Oct 16, 1982, 02:57 UTC)
- Place
- Palm Springs, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 17 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N63SASwearingen SA-226TC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 15, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821015053109A
- Case key
- 72144
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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
While at the gate with the passengers seated & the engines running, the copilot attempted to turn up his panel lights with the rheostat located on the FAR right forward portion of the side electrical panel. At that instant smoke began to erupt at his right knee position. The passengers were evacuated & the cockpit fire was put out by the ground crew. The rheostat was found to be contaminated with hydraulic fluid, & heavy arcing was found on the rheostat at the full high position. Three hydraulic lines were found to be burned in half forward & under the circuit breaker panel access door. Examination of the hydraulic brake line revealed stress cracks due to chemical contamination or fatigue, permitting brake fluid to escape into the surrounding area. The brake fluid was ignited by the arcing copilot's rheostat, & the fire reached an oxygen line within seconds causing a blow-out hole thru the fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63SA
- Reported as
- Swearingen SA-226TC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC222
- Airframe hours
- 11,631
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331, 840 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Borrego Springs Airline
- Registered owner
- Ford Motor Credit Co.
- Departed
- PSP · Palm Springs, CA
- Destination
- LAX · Los Angeles, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PSP · Palm Springs
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 5,100 total · 3,600 in this make and model · 4,700 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Temperature
- 165 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.