- Date
- May 7, 1984, 13:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- West Covina, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9718DPiper PA-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840507016159A
- Case key
- 23955
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 returning to the arpt & towing a banner, smoke entered the cockpit & a small fire began buring, forward of the left/lower part of the firewall. The plt turned the acft to land in a field. He opened the right cabing door, all air vents & the window on the left side, but the fire & smoke became worse. He released the banner in an open field & slipped the acft to improve his ability to see during the landing. After touchdown, the nose gear failed & the acft nosed over & burned. The plt exited the acft without injuries, but was treated for smoke inhalation. Evidence of an inflt fire was found where the fuel line was routed in the area just forward of the firewall & the plt's left rudder pedal. The fuel strainer & some fuel line connectors were located in this area. They were not burned, but they had been exposed to heat.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9718D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 225530
- Airframe hours
- 3,014
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tommy L. King
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1984 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- CNO · Chino, CA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 627 total · 52 in this make and model · 554 as pilot in command · 62 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CNO, 12 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.