Cessna 182Q accident near Coral Springs, Florida, January 12, 2007
On January 12, 2007 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N502SS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Coral Springs, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper design change associated with a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), which resulted in an in-flight fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2007 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Coral Springs, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N502SS · registry record · serial 18267502
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, a Cessna 182Q seaplane experienced an engine compartment in-flight fire followed by a total loss of engine power. A successful forced landing to a lake was completed, and the fire was extinguished by a local fire department. Heat damage was noted to the firewall and structural members just aft of the firewall on the bottom of the fuselage. Examination of the engine compartment revealed a 10.00-inch long fire-sleeved, steel braided, flexible fuel line (the pressure return from the fuel control unit to the engine-driven fuel pump) had chafed against an electrical cable approximately 5 inches from where the fuel line attached to the engine-driven fuel pump. The chafing had created a hole in the fuel line and worn away the insulation from the wire which resulted in the in-flight fire, and ultimately the loss of engine power. The airplane was modified by a mechanic 2 years 4 months and 11 days earlier by installing a dimensionally larger engine and modifying the firewall per a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). The engine provided to the mechanic came from the STC holder with the 10.00-inch fuel line installed, though this line was originally 8.25 inches in length when the STC was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Certification Office (ACO). Prior to STC approval, personnel from the ACO inspected a modified airplane and drawings submitted by the STC submitter; however the drawings only depicted modifications and not previously installed lines, hoses, etc. The mechanic who modified the airplane with the larger engine reported that postaccident, he inspected five similar airplanes and found two had chafing of the same electrical cable, but against different fuel lines. He also stated the area where the fracture fuel line was located was "tight."
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 4,431 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3,899 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,977 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2006; 30.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550-D27B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Windermere FL at 4:15 pm
- Destination: KFXE Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from FXE, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.