- Date
- August 31, 1984, 01:23 local (05:23 UTC)
- Place
- Washington, DC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N72TMBeech 58
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11112
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Loss of engine power(partial) - mech failure/malf
Engine assembly,cylinder - fatigueCause
Fire
Miscellaneous - fire
Precautionary landing - performed
Analysis
The plt made an emergency landing on rwy 18 following a loss of power in the rt eng & a subsequent in-flight fire. Investigation revealed a crack in the #1 cyl that originated at the exhaust port, downstream of the valve. The crack propagated through fatique to the top spark plug hole. Eventually, it progressed to the point that the flame path (during the combusition cycles), torched through near the spark plug hole.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72TM
- Reported as
- Beech 58
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TH 213
- Airframe hours
- 6,310
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-C7, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Gibson Aviation
- Registered owner
- Joseph W. Gibson III
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 23, 1984 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- DCA · Washington, DC
- Destination
- CLT · Charlotte, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DCA · National, runway 18, 6,869 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 625 in this make and model · 104 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DCA