Cessna 150 N150EC

Summary

On 19 December 2016 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N150EC, operated by Florida Institute of Technology, was involved in an accident near Palm Bay, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 December 2016 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Palm Bay, Florida, United States

Coordinates

27.8700, -80.5578

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N150EC

Category

Airplane

Operator

Florida Institute of Technology

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Melbourne → Melbourne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA071

2 people had minor injuries.

Unknown maintenance personnel’s improper routing of electrical wires in the engine compartment, which resulted in chafing and a subsequent in-flight fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During recovery from a simulated engine failure during an instructional flight, the flight instructor and student pilot smelled and then saw smoke in the cockpit. The instructor took the flight controls, chose a forced landing site, and maneuvered the airplane for landing. Upon touchdown, the nose landing gear settled into low brush and soft terrain where the airplane stopped, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane at the accident site revealed that wires connected to the battery solenoid exhibited thermal damage. When the damaged wires were moved, the navigational gyros energized, the airplane lights illuminated, and the flaps deployed. Detailed examination revealed that the wire that connected the battery solenoid to the starter solenoid exhibited chafing and thermal damage to the insulation along a 3-inch-long section. The wire was placed in its approximate preaccident location, and the burned area corresponded to the round shape of the right rear muffler. A review of maintenance records revealed no entries related to wiring. It is likely that unknown maintenance personnel improperly routed the wires, which led to chafing and the subsequent in-flight fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.