- Date
- May 5, 1991, 13:35 local (20:35 UTC)
- Place
- Tulare, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2160FCessna U206
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910505014099A
- Case key
- 27191
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 in-flight fire in the cabin/crew compartment area of the aircraft, due to failure of a fuel line located in the left doorpost area.
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
The certificated commercial pilot and a passenger were returning from a short cross country flight and the pilot decided to do a touch and go landing. As the airplane was climbing out, the passenger noticed a small flame on the side panel, about 6 inches forward of the left door post. The pilot executed a 180 degree turn back to the runway. The flames in the cockpit rapidly spread around the base of the windshield and up into the overhead ceiling. Due to the heat and smoke, the passenger and pilot jumped from the airplane as it was still moving down the runway at about 30 mph. The unoccupied airplane exited the runway and rolled to a stop between the runway and taxiway. The airplane was consumed by fire. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The origin of the fire appeared to be from a fuel line located in the left front doorpost area. Electrical wiring to the landing and position lights was also routed through the door post.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2160F
- Reported as
- Cessna U206
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U206-0360
- Airframe hours
- 6,308
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joyce J. Brunson, doing business as Ca Agricultural Aeronautic Inc
- Registered owner
- Joyce J. Brunson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 1991 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- 042 · Woodlake, CA
- Airport
- TLR · Mefford Field, runway 13, 3,914 × 75 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
- 22
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 875 total · 6 in this make and model · 803 as pilot in command · 76 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.