NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA96LA038
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT'S AND GROUND PERSONNEL'S IMPROPER STARTING PROCEDURE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE COMMUNICATIONS BEING NOT UNDERSTOOD AND INADEQUATE TRAINING FOR BOTH THE PILOT AND GROUND PERSONNEL.
Factual narrative
On December 11, 1995, about 0730 central standard time, N88MS, an Aero Commander 112, registered to Hangar #2 Inc. experienced an explosion and fire on engine start at Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee, while initiating a 14 CFR Part 91 traffic show flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The pilot and reporter/passenger reported no injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged by the explosion and the subsequent fire. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot stated he requested a ground power unit to assist with the engine start. The FBO used a 28 volt, 800 amp unit. The airplane has a 12-volt system. After the battery switch was turned on, the battery exploded, and a fire ensued. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE REQUESTED A GROUND POWER UNIT (GPU) TO ASSIST WITH THE ENGINE START. THE FBO USED A 28-VOLT, 800-AMP GPU. THE AIRPLANE HAS A 12-VOLT SYSTEM. THE GPU WAS ATTACHED TO THE AIRPLANE, AND AFTER THE BATTERY SWITCH WAS TURNED ON THE BATTERY EXPLODED AND A FIRE ENSUED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1995_MIA96LA038.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
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Related research
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Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Data in Brief)
Cockpit voice recorder transcript data: Capturing safety voice and safety listening during historic aviation accidents
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts capture audio data within cockpit environments. This aids the investigation of causal factors contributing to aviation accidents by revealing communication and…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Synthetic Vision Workshop 2
The second NASA sponsored Workshop on Synthetic/Enhanced Vision (S/EV) Display Systems was conducted January 27-29, 1998 at the NASA Langley Research Center.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2019 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Small Unmanned Aircraft System Operator Compliance with Visual Line of Sight Requirements
Operating small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without appropriate waivers and risk mitigations presents a serious hazard to manned aircraft and other users of th…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2017 · Conference paper
Recipe for Success: Behavioral Ingredients for Superior Performing Leaders
The aviation and aerospace business is a complex adaptive system that includes emerging technologies, competitors, government policies, cost demands, globalization, and talent constraints.
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