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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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A C182 pilot had an engine fire during start and later he departed without a post fire mechanic's inspection. Shortly after takeoff he lost all electrical power during flight in IMC. He continued his flight using a hand held radio and occasional ground sighting to navigation toward his destination. He landed at an alternate when the clouds were too low to continue.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 385760 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199711 |
| Day | Wed |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : fzg |
| State Reference | GA |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Skylane 182/RG Turbo Skylane/RG |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | ground : preflight |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : private pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 60 flight time total : 1450 flight time type : 1300 |
| ASRS Report | 385760 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | other personnel other |
| Qualification | other other : other |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other other : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : declared emergency none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | faa : investigated other Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
It was raining when we arrived at the airport. I untied and preflted the plane. I went inside to file a flight plan at the FBO fitzgerald, GA. We boarded the plane. It was turning over, but did not start. Apparently, I flooded it and it backfired starting a small fire around the lower left cowl. A gentleman who was at the airport drove up in his car. He yelled, 'you are on fire, continue to get it running so it will put the fire out.' I continued to crank the engine and finally, it started. I ran the engine for another couple of mins. Then, shut it down, removed the top cowl and inspected. No mechanic was available. An older man who used to run the FBO looked at it with me. Several wires were slightly discolored. None seemed to be burned through. We thought it looked okay. I restarted the engine. It ran and seemed unhurt. I turned it off, put the cowl back on, restarted the engine and it ran fine. I called and got clearance off time and took off. Everything was normal for 15 mins. Then I lost all electrical power. At that time, I called jacksonville 2-3 times telling that I had lost electrical, on the hand held. Apparently there was a bad connection as I did not get a response. Directional gyroscope/HSI was not functioning several mins before I realized. I then flew compass heading to lagrange at 6000 ft. Playing with the portable radio, I finally got it to give me a heading to various vors. My altitude and heading varied some as I played with the hand held to get it to work. We also had light turbulence around the heavier rain cells. I flew over callaway gardens, therefore I knew I was avoiding atlanta and columbus's airspace while staying on track to lagrange VOR. Since the ceilings in huntsville were forecast to 4000 ft, I descended to that altitude. I found highway 431 in gadsden, lost it, circled back and found it again through the clouds. I recognized the boaz outlet malls and decided to follow highway 431 to guntersville lake and then the tennessee river south of huntsville to triana and then north to the airport. I am very familiar with the area between guntersville and huntsville. Unfortunately west of guntersville lake there was a low solid layer of clouds 200-400 ft. They were too low to scud run as there are wires on the river. Therefore, I circled back to highway 431 and tried to find the albertville airport. I descended through a hole in the clouds, we had a 500-600 ft ceiling. My unfamiliarity with the landmarks kept me from finding the airport. So, I flew to highway 431 and followed it to the guntersville airport (8a1). I landed and called 1-800-WX brief and told of lost power, landing in guntersville, all safe (assumed anniston). I called my office and my secretary told me to call a military facility. I talked to a lady there and repeated the same information.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A C182 PLT HAD AN ENG FIRE DURING START AND LATER HE DEPARTED WITHOUT A POST FIRE MECH'S INSPECTION. SHORTLY AFTER TKOF HE LOST ALL ELECTRICAL PWR DURING FLT IN IMC. HE CONTINUED HIS FLT USING A HAND HELD RADIO AND OCCASIONAL GND SIGHTING TO NAV TOWARD HIS DEST. HE LANDED AT AN ALTERNATE WHEN THE CLOUDS WERE TOO LOW TO CONTINUE.
Narrative: IT WAS RAINING WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE ARPT. I UNTIED AND PREFLTED THE PLANE. I WENT INSIDE TO FILE A FLT PLAN AT THE FBO FITZGERALD, GA. WE BOARDED THE PLANE. IT WAS TURNING OVER, BUT DID NOT START. APPARENTLY, I FLOODED IT AND IT BACKFIRED STARTING A SMALL FIRE AROUND THE LOWER L COWL. A GENTLEMAN WHO WAS AT THE ARPT DROVE UP IN HIS CAR. HE YELLED, 'YOU ARE ON FIRE, CONTINUE TO GET IT RUNNING SO IT WILL PUT THE FIRE OUT.' I CONTINUED TO CRANK THE ENG AND FINALLY, IT STARTED. I RAN THE ENG FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF MINS. THEN, SHUT IT DOWN, REMOVED THE TOP COWL AND INSPECTED. NO MECH WAS AVAILABLE. AN OLDER MAN WHO USED TO RUN THE FBO LOOKED AT IT WITH ME. SEVERAL WIRES WERE SLIGHTLY DISCOLORED. NONE SEEMED TO BE BURNED THROUGH. WE THOUGHT IT LOOKED OKAY. I RESTARTED THE ENG. IT RAN AND SEEMED UNHURT. I TURNED IT OFF, PUT THE COWL BACK ON, RESTARTED THE ENG AND IT RAN FINE. I CALLED AND GOT CLRNC OFF TIME AND TOOK OFF. EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL FOR 15 MINS. THEN I LOST ALL ELECTRICAL PWR. AT THAT TIME, I CALLED JACKSONVILLE 2-3 TIMES TELLING THAT I HAD LOST ELECTRICAL, ON THE HAND HELD. APPARENTLY THERE WAS A BAD CONNECTION AS I DID NOT GET A RESPONSE. DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE/HSI WAS NOT FUNCTIONING SEVERAL MINS BEFORE I REALIZED. I THEN FLEW COMPASS HEADING TO LAGRANGE AT 6000 FT. PLAYING WITH THE PORTABLE RADIO, I FINALLY GOT IT TO GIVE ME A HEADING TO VARIOUS VORS. MY ALT AND HEADING VARIED SOME AS I PLAYED WITH THE HAND HELD TO GET IT TO WORK. WE ALSO HAD LIGHT TURB AROUND THE HEAVIER RAIN CELLS. I FLEW OVER CALLAWAY GARDENS, THEREFORE I KNEW I WAS AVOIDING ATLANTA AND COLUMBUS'S AIRSPACE WHILE STAYING ON TRACK TO LAGRANGE VOR. SINCE THE CEILINGS IN HUNTSVILLE WERE FORECAST TO 4000 FT, I DSNDED TO THAT ALT. I FOUND HWY 431 IN GADSDEN, LOST IT, CIRCLED BACK AND FOUND IT AGAIN THROUGH THE CLOUDS. I RECOGNIZED THE BOAZ OUTLET MALLS AND DECIDED TO FOLLOW HWY 431 TO GUNTERSVILLE LAKE AND THEN THE TENNESSEE RIVER S OF HUNTSVILLE TO TRIANA AND THEN N TO THE ARPT. I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA BTWN GUNTERSVILLE AND HUNTSVILLE. UNFORTUNATELY W OF GUNTERSVILLE LAKE THERE WAS A LOW SOLID LAYER OF CLOUDS 200-400 FT. THEY WERE TOO LOW TO SCUD RUN AS THERE ARE WIRES ON THE RIVER. THEREFORE, I CIRCLED BACK TO HWY 431 AND TRIED TO FIND THE ALBERTVILLE ARPT. I DSNDED THROUGH A HOLE IN THE CLOUDS, WE HAD A 500-600 FT CEILING. MY UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE LANDMARKS KEPT ME FROM FINDING THE ARPT. SO, I FLEW TO HWY 431 AND FOLLOWED IT TO THE GUNTERSVILLE ARPT (8A1). I LANDED AND CALLED 1-800-WX BRIEF AND TOLD OF LOST PWR, LNDG IN GUNTERSVILLE, ALL SAFE (ASSUMED ANNISTON). I CALLED MY OFFICE AND MY SECRETARY TOLD ME TO CALL A MIL FACILITY. I TALKED TO A LADY THERE AND REPEATED THE SAME INFO.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.