Event NYC02LA038

Factual narrative

On October 30, 2001, at 1635 eastern standard time, an Aero Vodochody L-39C, N90688, was substantially damaged when it caught fire while taxiing at New Castle County Airport (ILG), Wilmington, Delaware. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A visual flight rules flight plan was on file for the flight, to Canandaigua Airport (D38), Canandaigua, New York. The personal flight was to be conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot reported that he flew to Wilmington earlier in the day to have the airplane's brakes checked. After the inspection, he prepared for departure, and had the airplane turned into the wind. The start sequence was normal, and afterwards, he began to taxi the airplane to the active runway. According to the pilot: "As I was taxiing, I received a light indicating electrical failure and RAT displayed. I also noticed smoke coming from the right side of the aircraft. The control tower then radioed and asked if the plane was all right because they saw smoke as well. As I answered, total electrical failure occurred. At this point, I hit fuel cutoff, shut down the engine, and engaged the emergency fire suppression system and exited the aircraft." According to the maintenance technician who inspected the airplane after the fire, an oil line from the auxiliary power unit (APU) had ruptured, and sprayed oil onto the APU's exhaust pipe. While taxiing, the pilot noticed smoke emanating from the right side of the airplane. He shut down the engine, activated the emergency fire suppression system, and exited the airplane. Examination of the airplane after the fire revealed that an oil line from the APU had ruptured, and sprayed oil on the APU's exhaust pipe. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12