ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 227018
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Tuesday 9 July 2019 |
| Time: | 08:13 LT |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 65 Queen Air U-8F |
| Owner/operator: | Bemidji Aviation Services Inc |
| Registration: | N62069 |
| MSN: | LF-64 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1962 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 8933 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-720-A1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Sidney, NE -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Sidney Airport, NE (SNY/KSNY) |
| Denver International Airport, CO (DEN/KDEN) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot had topped off the outboard fuel tanks before departure. While taxiing for takeoff, the stall warning horn activated, and the pilot pulled the circuit breaker to disable the horn. During the takeoff roll, the pilot heard a loud bang, observed significant damage to the outboard left wing, and aborted the takeoff. While taxiing back to the ramp, the pilot noted smoke coming from the top of the left wing. The pilot taxied the airplane to the corner of the ramp, performed an abbreviated shutdown, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and evacuated. The pilot did not observe any additional smoke or fire and did not discharge the fire extinguisher.
Examination of the airplane revealed fire and thermal damage near the wing root area, including melted and burned wiring. Due to some loose installation screws, a fuel leak was found coming from the fuel sending unit, which had recently been replaced. In addition, a wiring harness was found pinched between a metal clamp and a wing rib. Metal-to-metal contact was noted between exposed wiring and the wing rib. Based on the fuel leak in the left wing and the pinched wiring, it is likely fuel vapors ignited and caused an explosion of the outboard left wing.
A few months before the accident, the outboard left wing was replaced. The operator's director of maintenance stated that the electrical wiring in the wing was not inspected during the wing replacement.
Probable Cause: The improper maintenance of the outboard left wing, which allowed electrical arcing and leaking of the fuel sending unit and subsequently resulted in ignition of fuel vapors and an explosion of the outboard left wing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/1054769-64de779558473b1cfbd80030fe19416a5f0f66de (photo)
NTSB CEN19LA215
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 22 February 2019 | N62069 | Bemidji Aviation Services Inc | 0 | near Colby Municipal Airport (KCBK), Thomas County, KS | |
sub |
| 16 June 2021 | N62069 | Bemidji Aviation Services Inc | 0 | Goodland-Renner Field, KS (GLD/KGLD) | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jul-2019 23:30 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 11-Jul-2019 01:21 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Narrative] |
| 27-Mar-2021 11:04 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
| 17-Nov-2022 20:47 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation