Piper PA-22-108 accident near Millard, Nebraska, April 23, 1991
On April 23, 1991 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-108, registered N5421Z, was destroyed in an accident near Millard, Nebraska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER USE OF APU BY UNKNOWN PERSONNEL WHICH RESULTED IN THE AIRPLANE'S ELECTRICAL WIRING MELTING AND SUBSEQUENT SHORT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 1991 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Millard, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-108 · all PA-22-108s on the register
- Registration
- N5421Z · no longer on the register · serial 22-9194
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, AN ELECTRICAL FIRE ERUPTED UNDER THE PASSENGER'S SEAT. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE WHICH RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY A POST-LANDING FIRE. POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN STARTED WITH A 24 VOLT BOOST INSTEAD OF A 12 VOLT BOOST WHICH RESULTED IN MELTED WIRES AND THE SUBSEQUENT SHORT AND FIRE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 146 hours in all; 145 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 107 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,204 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MLE Millard NE at 5:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:50 pm from OMA, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.