NTSB ATL91LA045 — 1991-01-23 · WARM SPRINGS, Georgia, United States

Current FAA registration · N4718D

Make / Model: CESSNA 182A
Year of manufacture: 1958 · 33 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19580108
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A5C845

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N4718D Cessna 182A None

Probable cause & findings

AN ELECTRICAL SHORT RELATED TO THE ALTERNATOR FROM AN UNDETERMINED SOURCE.

Factual narrative

ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, DURING THE ENGINE RUNUP, THE RIGHT MAG DROP WAS SIGNIFICANT. WITH THE MAG SWITCH BACK ON BOTH, IT WAS OK. AGAIN ON THE RIGHT MAG THE ENGINE BACKFIRED & QUIT. IT WAS STARTED AGAIN WITH THE SAME RPM DROP ON THE RIGHT MAG. PUFFS OF SMOKE WERE OBSERVED FROM UNDER THE ENGINE. HE GOT OUT, OPENED THE COWLING, & SAW FLAMES. THE LOCAL FD PUT OUT THE FIRE. AN FAA INSPECTOR FOUND THAT THE FIRE INITIATED FROM THE ALTERNATOR. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS ALSO BURNED BUT NOT THE INTERIOR SIDE OF THE FIREWALL. A SHORT APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED AT THE TOP OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_ATL91LA045.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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