Piper PA-34-200T N2948S

Summary

On 27 May 2004 at about 20:56 local time, a Piper PA-34-200T registered N2948S was involved in an accident near Cleveland, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 May 2004 at 20:56

Classification

Accident

Location

Cleveland, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Cleveland Municipal Airport (6R3)

Coordinates

30.3405, -95.0693

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-200T

Registration

N2948S

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pearland → Palestine

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW04LA142

1 person had minor injuries.

The in-flight fire that resulted from an electrical arc in the main battery cable near the main power bus. The cause of the arcing event could not be determined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 2,919-hour airline transport rated pilot stated that the airplane was climbing through an altitude of 5,500 feet mean sea level (msl) when he heard a "pop" and started to smell something "funny," but there was no visible smoke. He elected to go to the nearest airport and land, and noticed that his push-to-talk button was no longer operative. The pilot set code 7700 in the transponder and began a descent. During the descent, the cockpit began to fill with an "acrid black" smoke, and he saw flames through an opening in the instrument panel. The pilot attempted to suppress the fire with a hand-held fire extinguisher; however, he was unsuccessful. The pilot elected to execute an emergency landing in a field, collided with a barbed wire fence, and the airplane was then consumed by fire. Examination of the airplane's electrical system revealed that the main battery cable that ran between the main power relay and the main power bus was severed approximately two inches from the main bus. There was beading and localized melting on both ends. Under magnification, the damaged areas had an eroded appearance and there was some evidence of pitting. This type of damage is indicative of an electrical arcing event, which most likely ignited the insulation surrounding the main power wiring assembly and spread to other combustible items in the area. The initiating event for the arc could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.