- Date
- November 10, 1989, 09:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Richmond, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4897JBeech C33
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891110044869A
- Case key
- 11567
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Cracked fuel flow indicator fuel line which allowed fuel to come in contact with electrical components of the instrument panel which resulted in a fire.
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.
Analysis
Just after takeoff, while climbing through 1,000 feet, the plt began to smell smoke in the cockpit. After attempting to contact ATC to return to land, the plt shut down the electrical system. He stated that he saw flame coming from the instrument panel and that the smoke worsened. An emergency landing was made at the Richmond international airport. The plt evacuated the acft on the rwy and the interior to the acft and the instrument panel were destroyed by fire and heat by time the flames were extinguished. Inspection of the acft disclosed a cracked fuel line which ran to the fuel flow indicator on the instrument panel. This line was cracked in the area of the cabin light rheostat.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4897J
- Reported as
- Beech C33
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CD1079
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-K, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Julian C. Petts, Jr.
- Registered owner
- Julian C Petts, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Cartersville, VA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- RIC · Richmond Int'L, runway 16, 10,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 25 in this make and model · 7,650 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.