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BE36 pilot on an IFR flight plan has smoke appear in cockpit coming from the lower half of the radio stack. Emergency declared and transponder, DME and ADF turned off. Smoke diminished and pilot received vectors to nearby runway.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 429829 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199903 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : cae |
| State Reference | SC |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 8000 msl bound upper : 8000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Bonanza 36 |
| Flight Phase | cruise other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 26 flight time total : 503 flight time type : 434 |
| ASRS Report | 429829 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | government : faa |
| Function | controller : approach |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : declared emergency other |
| Consequence | Other |
Narrative:
Departed gso on IFR flight plan to tlh. WX was VMC. Transponder was intermittent/inoperative. I gave position and altitude fixes to controllers. On the cae 041 degree radial. Smoke was seen coming from the lower half of the radio stack. Power was shut off to transponder, DME and ADF. Emergency was declared with shaw approach. Received vectors and runway information for cdn, smoke decreased then quit. Landed without further incident. Problem was traced to a capacitor in the transponder. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that the transponder is a collins and the smoke was eliminated as soon as he turned the electrical off. The capacitor just went bad according to the avionics repair person. Reporter has not heard of this happening to others and feels it is an isolated incident.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: BE36 PLT ON AN IFR FLT PLAN HAS SMOKE APPEAR IN COCKPIT COMING FROM THE LOWER HALF OF THE RADIO STACK. EMER DECLARED AND XPONDER, DME AND ADF TURNED OFF. SMOKE DIMINISHED AND PLT RECEIVED VECTORS TO NEARBY RWY.
Narrative: DEPARTED GSO ON IFR FLT PLAN TO TLH. WX WAS VMC. XPONDER WAS INTERMITTENT/INOP. I GAVE POS AND ALT FIXES TO CTLRS. ON THE CAE 041 DEG RADIAL. SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE LOWER HALF OF THE RADIO STACK. PWR WAS SHUT OFF TO XPONDER, DME AND ADF. EMER WAS DECLARED WITH SHAW APCH. RECEIVED VECTORS AND RWY INFO FOR CDN, SMOKE DECREASED THEN QUIT. LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. PROB WAS TRACED TO A CAPACITOR IN THE XPONDER. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE XPONDER IS A COLLINS AND THE SMOKE WAS ELIMINATED AS SOON AS HE TURNED THE ELECTRICAL OFF. THE CAPACITOR JUST WENT BAD ACCORDING TO THE AVIONICS REPAIR PERSON. RPTR HAS NOT HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING TO OTHERS AND FEELS IT IS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.