- Date
- July 25, 1995, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Polk City, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N334BLMaule MX7-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 19, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950725024509A
- Case key
- 37804
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 fire for an undetermined reason(s).
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 airplane had landed about 30 min earlier on a canal, taxied up a ramp onto land, and shut down. The pilot, instructor and a passenger subsequently boarded the airplane. During the engine start, the engine caught fire. FAA personnel examined the wreckage; the origin of the fire could not be determined.
Factual narrative
On July 25, 1995, about 1045 eastern daylight time, N334BL, a Maule MX7-235, registered to a private individual, burned on engine start in Polk City, Florida, while attempting a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed by fire and the pilot, instructor pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The flight was originating at the time.
The pilot stated that he had landed on the canal, taxied up the ramp on amphibious floats, and shut down about 30 minutes earlier. He picked up an instructor pilot for a proficiency flight and the engine caught fire during the engine start. An examination of the airplane by local FAA personnel was conducted and no cause for the fire could be found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N334BL
- Reported as
- Maule MX7-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4071C
- Airframe hours
- 290
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-W1A5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ronald D. Bull
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1994 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- FL
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,074 total · 13 in this make and model · 214 in the last 90 days · 87 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORL, 23 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.