Beechcraft 65 N751T

Summary

On 9 March 2004 at about 21:00 local time, a Beechcraft 65 registered N751T was involved in an accident near Sedona, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 March 2004 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sedona, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Sedona Airport (SEZ)

Coordinates

34.8486, -111.7886

Aircraft

Beechcraft 65

Registration

N751T

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Johns → Sedona

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA159

Nobody was injured.

an explosion of the left outboard wing, resulting from a leaking fuel line and the ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the outboard wing bays; the source of ignition energy for the explosion could not be determined. A factor in the accident was an improper maintenance installation of a foreign material patch to fix a fuel leak.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane's left wing exploded while the pilot was taxiing from landing. After landing, the pilot maneuvered the airplane in a turn in an effort to taxi off the runway. While turning, the outboard section of the left wing exploded and a small fire erupted. The pilot noted that during the landing neither the navigation nor strobe lights were in the "on" position. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector found a small piece of material, resembling leather, wrapped around a portion of the fuel line with a clamp affixed, keeping it in place. The location of the clamped material around the fuel line was in an area of the most damage. On the skin material around the fuel line, he noted a dark gummy substance, consistent with the appearance of residual fuel. He opined that the clamped material was installed in an effort to fix a fuel leak. He also thought that after the material became saturated with fuel, fuel vapors filled the outboard cavity of the wing. The airplane's parts manual revealed that the electrical wiring in the outboard section of the left wing consists of wiring for the navigation light, the landing light, and the stall warning indicator. The fuel line runs behind the leading edge to the outboard tanks of the wing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.