Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Huntsville International Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Huntsville, Alabama 35812
Wednesday, April 26, 1995 11:09 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
A COCKPIT FIRE OCCURRED DURING AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO THE HUNTSVILLE INTERNATIONAL-JONES AIRPORT, IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA. WHITE SMOKE WAS OBSERVED COMING FROM THE TOP OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. MOMENTS LATER, THE SMOKE TURNED BLACK AND WAS ORIGINATING FROM UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. INVESTIGATION INTO THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT A LOOSE WIRE, LEFT INSTALLED AFTER EQUIPMENT WAS REMOVED FROM THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, SHORTED BETWEEN AN EXPOSED TERMINAL ON THE AVIONICS BUS RELAY AND THE OIL PRESSURE LINE. ARCING OCCURRED, MELTING A HOLE IN THE OIL LINE, LOCATED ABOVE THE AVIONICS BUS RELAY. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF EXTREME HEAT IN THE SAME AREA. THE OIL WAS RELEASED FROM THE OIL LINE, WHICH SPILLED ONTO, AND FUELED, THE FIRE. MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON THE AIRCRAFT TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT TO INSTALL A NEW AUTOPILOT SYSTEM. DURING THE MAINTENANCE WORK, AN OLD AUTOPILOT WAS REMOVED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. COMPONENTS OF THE AUTOPILOT WERE REMOVED FROM BEHIND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
A loose wire which shorted between an exposed terminal on the avionics bus relay and the oil line to the oil pressure gage, and the failure of maintenance personnel to tie up loose wires.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/26/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1109 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | HUNTSVILLE |
| Event State | ALABAMA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 35812 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | HUNTSVILLE INTERNATIONAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | HSV |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 630 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1056 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | HSV |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 630 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 19 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 160 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 9 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 335 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:11PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N67HC |
| NTSB Number | ATL95LA091 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | In-flight |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BEECH |
| Aircraft Model | S-35 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | S-35 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | D-7674 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3300 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 5 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 6 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CPT, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1970 COVINGTON PIKE |
| Aircraft Owner City | MEMPHIS |
| Aircraft Owner State | TN |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 38128 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | BNA |
| Departure City | NASHVILLE |
| Departure State | TN |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 930 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 18L |
| Runway Length | 10000 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |