# NTSB MIA99LA068: Cessna 310N, N5080Q, Clearwater, FL, January 25, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 25, 1999, 15:13 local (20:13 UTC) - Place: Clearwater, FL - Location: 27.9086° N, 82.6865° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ST PETE-CLEARWATER INTL (PIE), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9086&lon=-82.6865&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 19, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 45668 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=MIA99LA068 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/45668/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA068 ## Probable cause a ground fire in the left wing due to an undetermined ignition source. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Fire, taxi - from landing - fluid,fuel - leak (contributing factor) - wing - undetermined ## Analysis After landing on runway 17L and turning onto taxiway 'L,' the left wing caught fire. CFR (Crash, Fire, Rescue) personnel responded and the fire was extinguished. The pilot told the FAA that after he turned onto the taxiway he heard a 'bang.' He attempted to turn the airplane to see if anything was on the taxiway, but he saw smoke. He stopped the airplane, shut off the engines, and all the occupants evacuated the airplane out the right door. Examination of the airplane's left wing revealed that soot was found in the wing bay outboard of the auxiliary fuel cell, soot was found on the stall warning switch, near an unused open terminal. Fuel stains were found on the bottom of the fuel cell bay liner and on the lower wing skin in the fuel cell area. The wing access panel, outboard of the APU plug receptacle in the engine exhaust trail area was found not sealed, as was the flap bell crank bolt access panel also located in the engine exhaust trail area. The battery positive cable was an automotive type cable. The relay end of the cable had melted. The battery ground lead had numerous broken wire strands at the battery end terminal. The fuel pump resistor and wire bundle from the left wing were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory, Washington, D.C., in an attempt to determine if they were the source of ignition. Examination of the wires revealed they were sooted and displayed heat damage consistent with exposure to a fire. Most of the insulation on the individual wires were missing, exposing the conductors. Where the insulation was present, the insulation varied in condition from slightly sooted to completely charred and crumbling. The inspection of individual wires with a stereo microscope revealed, the copper conductors were heat damaged but remained intact. No indication of arcing or electrical shorting were found on the wire surfaces. No determination of an ignition source, for the ground fire, was determined. ## Factual narrative On January 25, 1999, about 1513 eastern standard time, a Cessna 310N, N5080Q, registered to an individual caught fire while taxiing after landing at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport, Clearwater, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial-rated pilot, and two passengers reported no injuries. The flight had departed from the same airport at 1400. After landing on runway 17L and turning onto taxiway "L," the left wing caught fire. CFR (Crash, Fire, Rescue) personnel responded and the fire was extinguished. The pilot told the FAA that after he turned onto the taxiway he heard a "bang." He attempted to turn the airplane to see if anything was on the taxiway, but he saw smoke. He stopped the airplane, shut off the engines, and all the occupants evacuated the airplane out the right door. Examination of the airplane's left wing, after it was removed from the airframe, revealed that soot was found in the wing bay outboard of the auxiliary fuel cell, and soot was found on the stall warning switch, near an unused open terminal. Fuel stains were found on the bottom of the fuel cell bay liner and on the lower wing skin in the fuel cell area. The wing access panel, outboard of the APU plug receptacle in the engine exhaust trail area was found not sealed, as was the flap bell crank bolt access panel also located in the engine exhaust trail area. The battery positive cable was an automotive type cable. The relay end of the cable had melted. The battery ground lead had numerous broken wire strands at the battery end terminal. The fuel pump resistor and wire bundle from the left wing were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory, Washington, D.C., in an attempt to determine if they were the source of ignition. According to the NTSB Materials Laboratory Factual Report, the resistor and wires were sooted and displayed heat damage "consistent with exposure to a fire." Most of the insulation on the individual wires was missing, exposing the conductors. Where the insulation was present, the insulation varied in condition from slightly sooted to completely "charred and crumbling." The inspection of individual wires with a stereo microscope revealed "...the copper conductors were heat damaged but remained intact. No indication of arcing or electrical shorting were found on the wire surfaces." No determination of an ignition source, for the ground fire, was determined. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5080Q](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5080Q-2012-12-10), registration cancelled 2012-12-10, S/N 310N-0180, built 1968 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 310N - Registry model: [Cessna 310N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-310n) (registry code 2074234) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental I0-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-i0-470-series) (registry code 17027, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 310N-0180 - Airframe hours: 4281 - Engines: Continental IO-470V 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Carl Fromhagen - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 1998, 20 hours before - Departed: PIE - Airport: PIE, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, runway 17L, 8,500 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 72; airline transport, flight engineer; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 16,000 total, 1,600 in this make and model, 16,000 as pilot in command, 30 in the last 90 days, 5 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 330° at 12 knots - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,600 ft broken - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: PIE ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990125000739A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990125000739A), Jan 25, 1999: Cessna 310N, St Petersburg-C, FL, Substantial damage. (.4) On January 25, 1999, about 1513 eastern standard time, a Cessna 310N, N5080Q, registered to an individual caught fire while taxiing after landing at the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.