- Date
- May 25, 1991, 15:05 local (19:05 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor; on the ground: 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5128YBeech 80
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910525017269A
- Case key
- 32876
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
The improper maintenance work by an unknown person who crossthreaded a fuel nozzle injector fitting which allowed fuel to leak on the exhaust system initiating a fire. No reason for the right engine not to develop full power was found.
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 pilot stated that while in level flight the left engine failed and he observed a fire warning light and shut the engine down, the right engine then began to run rough and lose power. He then restarted the left engine but neither developed enough power to sustain flight. He executed a forced landing on a highway and struck a vehicle and a fire erupted. Examination of the left engine revealed a crossthreaded fuel nozzle fitting and soot patterns aft of it. No cause for the right engine failure was found. No evidence of an annual inspection was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5128Y
- Reported as
- Beech 80
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- L0-405
- Engine
- Lycoming GSIO-540, 380 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Cris E. Nicholson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- HWO · Hollywood, FL
- Destination
- X21 · Titusville, FL
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
- 23
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,927 total · 140 in this make and model · 1,707 as pilot in command · 175 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- FXE, 4 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.