No fatalities

Airplane Fire After Landing Following Ignition of Gasoline-Powered Weed Whip

Munising, MI, United States

On September 2, 2008, a CESSNA T182T operated by Pilot was involved in an aviation accident near Munising, MI. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The inadequate preflight planning/preparation by the pilot to carry a hazardous material aboard an airplane that resulted in a fire during an after-landing taxi. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 17 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During taxi after landing, a gasoline-powered weed whip placed on the rear seats ignited, causing a fire that destroyed the airplane. The pilot smelled gasoline on landing and repositioned the weed whip before ignition. The pilot was uninjured.

Incident Overview

On a personal flight, the pilot transported a gasoline-powered "weed whip" placed on the rear passenger seats. Upon touchdown at the destination airport, the pilot detected a strong smell of gasoline. During the after-landing taxi, the engine end of the weed whip fell behind the two front seats.

Sequence of Events

The pilot reached back and placed the weed whip back onto the seats. According to the pilot, "something caused it to ignite." At the time, the pilot was charging his cell phone where the weed whip was located. The smoke became so intense that the pilot pulled the mixture control to idle cutoff and exited the airplane.

Aftermath

The pilot was uninjured. The airplane was subsequently consumed by fire. No other details about damage or other occupants were provided in the source.

Contributing factors

Pilot