- Date
- March 10, 1985, 20:33 local (Mar 11, 1985, 01:33 UTC)
- Place
- Pahokee, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N44480Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850310013949A
- Case key
- 31364
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
The plt stated that when he smelled smoke in the cabin, he landed & taxied to the ramp area, then a fire erupted. An investigation revealed the fire started where an electrical short occurred near the APU plug (in the area of the aft baggage compartment).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44480
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 287425415
- Airframe hours
- 2,620
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jerry L. Murray
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1984 · 83 hours before
- Departed
- PHK
- Airport
- PHK · Palm Beach County Glades, runway 17, 4,620 × 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 340 total · 340 in this make and model · 300 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 30 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.