ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 353381
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| Date: | Saturday 8 May 1999 |
| Time: | 07:50 LT |
| Type: | GLASAIR-SH-2R |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N6DM |
| MSN: | 510MR |
| Total airframe hrs: | 104 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-D2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | St. Johns, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Payson, AZ (E69) |
| Pampa, TX (KPPA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was about 35 minutes into a planned cross-country flight when he smelled a smoke odor from the cockpit area, and began to see smoke coming from a the switch which controls the flap motor. The pilot decided to land, and elected to turn off the electrical power and shut down the engine. The pilot said he misjudged the approach to runway 3, so he turned the power back on, restarted the engine, and set up for an approach to runway 32. After determining that the landing was assured, he again turned off the electrical and engine power and glided to a landing on runway 32. During the landing, he overshot the touchdown point, overran the runway surface, and collided with an airport boundary fence. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed that the wire splices leading to the flap motor were touching each other and arcing, causing the smoke in the cockpit. Additionally, the three-position flap motor switch was examined. In the down position the switch is spring loaded to return to neutral; however, in the flaps up position, the switch must be physically returned to the neutral position. There are no limit stop proximity switches in the system and the motor will continue to run in either the up or down directions if the cockpit switch is in other than the neutral position. The flap motor had continued to run after the pilot retracted the flaps after takeoff, but did not reposition the switch to the neutral position. The overheated flap motor was another source of heat and smoke in the cockpit.
Probable Cause: The pilot misjudging the distance/altitude while on final approach to the runway, which resulted in a landing overrun. Factors were the pilot's failure to position the flap switch to the neutral position after takeoff, resulting in the continuous running and overheating of the flap motor, and the pilot's decision to shut down the engine.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX99LA175
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Mar-2024 13:21 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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