BEECH BARON 58 PLT DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURN LAND AFTER SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE INST PANEL AFTER EXPERIENCING NO REPLY TO HIS ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT APCH CTL. HE THEN SQUAWKED 7600 AND TURNED OFF ALL ELECTRICAL; INCLUDING BOTH THE AVIONICS AND MASTER SWITCH.
Synopsis
BEECH BARON 58 PLT DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURN LAND AFTER SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE INST PANEL AFTER EXPERIENCING NO REPLY TO HIS ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT APCH CTL. HE THEN SQUAWKED 7600 AND TURNED OFF ALL ELECTRICAL; INCLUDING BOTH THE AVIONICS AND MASTER SWITCH.
Narrative
I COMPLETED MY PREFLT AND STARTED THE ENGS AT XA40. I COPIED ATIS INFO AND CONFIRMED TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ACTIVE RWY 26; INTXN G; AND I REQUESTED FLT FOLLOWING. I COMPLETED PRETKOF PROCS; SWITCHED TO THE FXE TWR FREQ AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE TKOF CLRNC. I FOUND OUT THAT MY #1 RADIO WAS NOT RECEIVING PROPERLY AND THEN SWITCHED TO MY #2 RADIO AND ADVISED FXE TWR I HAD RECTIFIED THE MINOR PROB. I TOOK OFF IN A NW DIRECTION AT APPROX XA54 AND WAS TOLD TO CONTACT MIA DEP. MIA DEP TOLD ME TO MAINTAIN 1500 FT UNTIL FURTHER ADVISED. MIA DEP TOLD ME TO CONTACT PBI APCH. I ACKNOWLEDGED AND CHANGED TO THE APPROPRIATE FREQ AND ALSO ACKNOWLEDGED MY FLT FOLLOWING CLRNC. PBI APCH INQUIRED OF MY SWITCHING OVER AND I MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO ACKNOWLEDGE; BUT I DISCOVERED I WAS NOT XMITTING. I MAINTAINED MY LAST ASSIGNED VECTOR WHILE TRYING TO RESOLVE THE PROB. WHILE TRYING TO RESOLVE THE APPARENT RADIO PROB I SMELLED FUMES AND THEN I SAW SMOKE IN THE CABIN. IMMEDIATELY; I TURNED THE AVIONICS SWITCH OFF; THINKING THAT THIS WAS A RESULT OF THE RADIOS. I ALSO TURNED THE MAIN MASTER SWITCH OFF. I MADE A 180 DEG TURN TO FXE AND STARTED TO TURN THE MAIN MASTER ON AFTER ALSO CHKING THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS. I SQUAWKED 7600 SINCE I HAD NO COMS AND TURNED OFF ALL OF THE OTHER ELECTRICAL EQUIP. THE ALTERNATOR AND #1 VOLTAGE REGULATOR BOTH SEEMED ALRIGHT. BEING AWARE OF THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTRS AT FXE; I APCHED LOW DIRECTLY TO THE TWR WITH MY LNDG GEAR DOWN. I FLEW PAST THE TWR WITH SMOKE STILL IN THE CABIN; THEN SEEING PARTIALLY THAT RWY 8 WAS CLR; I LANDED SO AS TO GET ON THE GND WITH NO COMS; POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL FIRE AND FUMES COMING FROM BEHIND THE INST PANEL. I LANDED SAFELY AND DID A COMPLETE SHUTDOWN OF THE ACFT. WHEN I VACATED THE ACFT; THERE WERE NO FURTHER FUMES. I WAS ADVISED BY GND PERSONNEL TO STAY WITH THE ACFT IF THERE WAS NO FURTHER DANGER. I HAD THE ACFT TOWED OFF THE TXWY B. UPON REACHING THE HANGAR; I WAS INTERVIEWED BY FSDO AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.