- Date
- December 11, 2003, 21:15 local (Dec 12, 2003, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Buffalo, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N40259Piper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20031211035529A
- Case key
- 58488
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 pilot's improper procedure with regard to the cabin heater, which resulted in the over temperature of the heater and subsequent fire.
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
After landing, as the pilot pulled into the ramp area, he noticed an orange glow at his feet, and notified airport personnel over the radio that he had a fire in the airplane. The pilot brought the airplane to a stop, and airport crash fire rescue extinguished the fire. Examination of the airplane revealed the fire burnt a hole through the fuselage skin in the area of the Janitrol heater, just aft of the left wing root. The entire area forward of the Janitrol heater, including the wiring and plumbing of the heater, as well as the cockpit and cabin was consumed by fire. The pilot reported that his normal procedure for using the Janitrol heater was to turn it off at the same time he extended the landing gear while on approach. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), Description and Operations section stated, "The three positions of the cabin heat control switch are 'HEAT,' 'FAN,' and 'OFF'...It is advisable to place the switch in the fan position for several minutes after the heater has been operating to allow the unit to cool down before it is turned off." The Normal Procedures section of the POH required that the switch be turned to the "FAN" position while completing the Before and After Landing checklists. The Shutdown checklist called for the switch to be switched to the "OFF" position.
Factual narrative
On December 11, 2003, at 2115 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-23-250, N40259, operated by Northeast Aviation Inc., was substantially damaged by fire at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), Buffalo, New York. The certificated airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight which originated at the Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU), Morristown, New Jersey. The on-demand cargo flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 135.
According to the pilot, after landing at BUF, while taxiing to the ramp, he smelled a burning smell coming from the airplane. He checked the cockpit gauges, and noticed no abnormalities. As the pilot pulled into the ramp area, he noticed an orange glow at his feet, and notified FBO personnel over the radio that he had a fire in the airplane. FBO personnel brought hand-held fire extinguishers to the airplane, and attempted to extinguish the fire until airport crash fire rescue arrived.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane after the accident. According to the inspector, the fire burnt a hole through the fuselage skin in the area of the Janitrol heater, just aft of the left wing root. The entire area forward of the Janitrol heater, including the wiring and plumbing of the heater, as well as the cockpit and cabin area was consumed by fire.
The pilot stated that his normal procedure for using the Janitrol heater was to turn it off at the same time he extended the landing gear while on approach. He stated he followed the same procedure during the accident flight. The pilot reported 2,800 hours of total flight experience, 500 of which were in make and model.
According to the Piper PA-23-250 Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), Description and Operations section: "...The three positions of the cabin heat control switch are 'HEAT,' 'FAN,' and 'OFF'...It is advisable to place the switch in the fan position for several minutes after the heater has been operating to allow the unit to cool down before it is turned off."
The Normal Procedures section of the POH required that the switch be turned to the "FAN" position while completing the Before and After Landing checklists. The Shutdown checklist called for the switch to be switched to the "OFF" position.
The expanded Normal Procedures section, BEFORE LANDING, stated:
"...If the heater has been in operation, turn the heater control switch to 'FAN' to allow unit time to cool down."
The AFTER LANDING section stated:
"...If the heater has been in operation, check that the heater control switch is in the 'FAN' position. The heater should never be turned 'OFF' unless it has had time to cool down."
The SHUT DOWN section stated:
"...If the heater has been used and has been allowed to cool down, turn it to 'OFF'."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40259
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7305069
- Airframe hours
- 12,300
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Northeast Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Vincent Licolli Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 20, 2003 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- MMU · Morristown, NJ
- Destination
- BUF · Buffalo, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BUF · Buffalo Niagra International, runway 23, 8,102 × 150 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
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 16, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,760 total · 564 in this make and model · 2,670 as pilot in command · 352 in the last 90 days · 119 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 260° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- BUF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.