- Date
- May 28, 1990, 08:03 local (12:03 UTC)
- Place
- Deland, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4973VCessna T303
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900528017589A
- Case key
- 32561
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 chafed and shorted electrical wiring between bus bars, which caused a partial electrical failure, resulted in a false fire warning indication, and prevented the restart of the right 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
During an NDB apch in instrument conds with the landing gear extended, the fire warning light for the rgt eng illuminated. The rgt eng was shut down & a missed apch was initiated; however, the landing gear would not retract & the acft would not maintain alt. As it dscndd into the top of an overcast at an alt of about 600', the plts tried to restart the eng, but to no avail. Subsequently, the acft dscndd below the clouds at an alt of about 150' to 170'. As the instructor (CFI) landed the acft in an open field, the nose gear encountered soft dirt & the acft nosed over. An exam revealed that an electrical power jumper wire between 2 bus bars had become chafed & shorted. The left & rgt isolation circuit breakers & the buss tie circuit breaker were found in the tripped (open) position. This resulted in a false fire warning light & prevented the landing gear from being retracted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4973V
- Reported as
- Cessna T303
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T30300285
- Airframe hours
- 2,542
- Engine
- Continental LTSIO-520-AE, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 17, 1990 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- DAB · Daytona Beach, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DED · Deland Muni, runway 30, 6,003 × 100 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
- 23
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,520 total · 100 in this make and model · 1,340 as pilot in command · 270 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 150 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 15 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.