- Date
- June 22, 1992, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Columbus, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N39PWCessna 421B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920622021459A
- Case key
- 37177
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 electrical fire which started in a component that was part of a door seal modification. Also causal to the accident was the installation of this unapproved airplane modification.
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 cruise flight an electrical fire started which forced the pilot to make an emergency landing. The cabin interior was destroyed by the fire. The airplane was equipped with an 'unapproved' cabin door seal. The investigation revealed that the source of the fire was a component of this door seal installation that contained an electric motor, an air pump and a microswich. The investigation also disclosed that all parts involved in the door seal system were non-cessna parts and thee was no reference to pressurized door seals in the Cessna 421 manuals. No record of an FAA form 337 for the installation were found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39PW
- Reported as
- Cessna 421B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421B0360
- Airframe hours
- 4,949
- Engine
- Continental GTSIO-520H, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Shoeware Limited
- Registered owner
- Shoeware Limited
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 7, 1992
- Departed
- MO30 · Potosi, MO
- Destination
- TEB · Teterboro, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,500 total · 650 in this make and model · 240 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.