- Date
- August 14, 1989, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Watsonville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N82DSkelton Emeraude
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890814029279A
- Case key
- 26177
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
An inadequate fuel line, due to improper installation by the owner/builder, fuel line failure, fuel line leak, and a subsequent 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
During an apch to lnd, the plt & psgr noted smoke in the cockpit & saw flames coming thru the floor in the vcnty of the plt's rudder pedals. A safe lndg was made & the crew egressed the burning acft. The home built acft was equipped with plastic fuel lines from the carburetor to the fuel screen on the left side of the fire wall. Also, plastic flex lines were (apparently) used from the brake pedals to the brake cylinders. Both lines were melted by fire. The fuselage, wings & empennage were destroyed by fire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82D
- Reported as
- Skelton Emeraude
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1456
- Airframe hours
- 70
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-G, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dwight Skelton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1989 · 10 hours before
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 16 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SNS, 18 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.