Piper PA-23 incident near Beckley, West Virginia, October 14, 1995
On October 14, 1995, a Piper PA-23, registered N65SC, suffered minor damage in an incident near Beckley, West Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight fire (behind the right side of the instrument panel), which occurred for undetermined reason(s).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1995
- Place
- Beckley, West Virginia
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N65SC · registry record · serial 27-7405445
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the airplane was in level flight, at night, in clouds and light rain, when he saw a '...sudden flash (spark)...' followed by fire from behind the instrument panel on the right side of the cockpit. The pilot reported that he turned the master switch off in an attempt to eliminate the source of the fire. He stated that the cabin filled with smoke, but the fire gradually '...went out, mostly on it's own...' He made an uneventful landing at Beckley, WV. Maintenance personnel reported that fire damage precluded a positive determination of the source of the fire.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,765 hours in all; 639 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,587 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 117 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-C4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: THV York PA at 11:30 pm
- Destination: BKW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO96IA012.