The pilot of a cessna 182 observed smoke and a burning smell so he declared an emergency and landed ...

Attributes
ACN	1104825
Time
Date	201307
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Climb
Route In Use	Visual Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Electrical Wiring & Connectors
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Single Pilot
Qualification	Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 66 Flight Crew Total 634 Flight Crew Type 523
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor

Narrative:

Following departure; at about 3;000 ft; [I noticed] a burning smell followed by smoke coming out from under the circuit breakers. I notified approach of the issue and requested permission to land immediately at the nearest airport. Approach approved request to land at an air force base which was 3 miles to the north. I was asked to switch to tower and they quickly cleared landing and would have emergency personnel assist. Emergency procedures implemented followed by a good landing and we stopped the plane at the first turn off. The plane was vacated and fire personnel inspected. A melted wire leading to the landing light had shorted and melted in two pieces. Due to the quick response; no damage was done to the aircraft other than smoke smell. Air force incident paperwork was completed; mechanics consulted and determined that the aircraft was airworthy; followed by a departure about 1 hour later. The aircraft is now at a mechanic and avionic shop for repairs. The staff and support team at [the air force base] were very understanding and courteous.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: The pilot of a Cessna 182 observed smoke and a burning smell so he declared an emergency and landed at a nearby military base. A shorted wire was identified as the cause.

Narrative: Following departure; at about 3;000 FT; [I noticed] a burning smell followed by smoke coming out from under the circuit breakers. I notified Approach of the issue and requested permission to land immediately at the nearest airport. Approach approved request to land at an Air Force Base which was 3 miles to the north. I was asked to switch to Tower and they quickly cleared landing and would have emergency personnel assist. Emergency procedures implemented followed by a good landing and we stopped the plane at the first turn off. The plane was vacated and fire personnel inspected. A melted wire leading to the landing light had shorted and melted in two pieces. Due to the quick response; no damage was done to the aircraft other than smoke smell. Air Force incident paperwork was completed; mechanics consulted and determined that the aircraft was airworthy; followed by a departure about 1 hour later. The aircraft is now at a mechanic and avionic shop for repairs. The staff and support team at [the Air Force Base] were very understanding and courteous.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

The pilot of a cessna 182 observed smoke and a burning smell so he declared an emergency and landed at a nearby military base. A shorted wire was identified as the cause.