- Date
- February 28, 1990, 12:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Chiriaco Summit, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N24015Beech B-19
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900228003849A
- Case key
- 26747
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
A engine compartment fire of undetermined origin dduring engine start.
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
After repeated attempts were made to start the engine, a fire began in the engine compartment. As soon as the fire was observed, the fuel pump and mixture were turned off/closed and the engine was repeatedly cranked over. The fire spread and eventually consumed the aircraft. The malfunction within the engine starting system, and its relationship to the fuel-fed engine compartment fire, was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24015
- Reported as
- Beech B-19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MB-833
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard Wetzley
- Destination
- TRM · Thermal, CA
- Airport
- L77 · Chiriaco Summit
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.