Beech S-35 accident near Huntsville, Alabama, April 26, 1995
On April 26, 1995 at about 4:09 pm local time, a Beech S-35, registered N67HC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntsville, Alabama (Huntsville International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1995 · about 4:09 pm local time
- Place
- Huntsville, Alabama · Huntsville International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech S-35 · all S-35s on the register
- Registration
- N67HC · no longer on the register · serial D-7674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 215 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 124 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 6, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from HSV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.