- Date
- February 2, 1993, 19:20 local (Feb 3, 1993, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Danbury, CT
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N233PAPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930202004309A
- Case key
- 37294
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 emergency procedures for an engine fire during starting which resulted in the substantial damage. Factors related to the accident were the pilot's improper starting procedure and his lack of total experience.
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
This was the first flight of the day and the temperature was below freezing. The pilot primed the engine several times and then attempted to start the engine. It ran for a few seconds and then stopped. He primed it several times again and then attempted another start. Again the engine started and then stopped. He then noticed a glow on the ground and evacuated the passengers while he attempted to crank the engine, however the flames spread, and the pilot evacuated the airplane. The master switch, electric fuel pump, mixture control and the fuel selector valve were left on. According to the airplane flight manual, priming is used only after the initial start attempt. In addition, if a fire occurs during start, the manual say to shut off the mixture and fuel selector. The pilot had 90 hours total time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N233PA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7816676
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Blue Bird Aviation
- Registered owner
- Blue Bird Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- DXR
- Destination
- DXR
- Airport
- DXR · Danbury Muni
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
- 19
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 90 total · 40 in this make and model · 40 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DXR, 1 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.
Other investigations on N233PA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.