Beech 95-B55 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, March 20, 2007
On March 20, 2007 at about 1:55 am local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N500JP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia (Fulton County Airport-Brown Fi). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper maintenance of the "B-nut" fitting adjacent to the fuel pump by maintenance personnel, resulting in a fuel leak and wing explosion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2007 · about 1:55 am local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Fulton County Airport-Brown Fi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N500JP · no longer on the register · serial TC-2396
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At the initiation of a right engine start, the pilot heard a "thump" and observed fire from the right engine cowling. After engine shutdown, examination of the right wing revealed that the right wing, from the engine nacelle to the wing tip, was damaged. Servicing of the right fuel tank after the accident revealed a leak at the "B-nut" fitting on the output side of the fuel pump, whether the pump was actuated or not. Examination of maintenance records for the accident airplane revealed that the right main fuel cell was replaced approximately 3 months, and 12 flight hours prior to the accident flight.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 30,650 hours in all; 775 in this make and model; 272 in the last 90 days; 94 in the last 30 days; 23,280 as pilot in command; 2,772 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,209 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2006; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,880 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Midline Airfreight Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: FTY Atlanta GA at 1:55 am
- Destination: RYY Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KFTY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.