Incident Overview
During a deadheading flight back to his operations base, the pilot encountered an in-flight fire and smoke in the cockpit. The pilot successfully extinguished the fire and evacuated the smoke from the cockpit. Subsequently, a normal landing was performed.
Post-Flight Examination
An examination of the aircraft after the incident disclosed that the alternator bonding wire had broken off its terminal. Additionally, one lead to the voltage regulator was found broken off.
FAA Observations
An FAA inspectors' surveillance record stated, in part, that "the condition of the wiring indicated a lack of proper care and inspection."