Beech B-55 accident near Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 4, 1993
On April 4, 1993, a Beech B-55, registered N4167P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Green Bay, Wisconsin (Austin Straubel Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Improper replacement of the right wing by maintenance personnel which resulted in the vapor return lines being reversed, and the auxiliary tank vent to be disconnected.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 1993
- Place
- Green Bay, Wisconsin · Austin Straubel Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B-55 · all B-55s on the register
- Registration
- N4167P · registry record · serial TF-23
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was leaving Green Bay, Wisconsin for the return flight to Rockford, Illinois. On the preflight inspection, the pilot said he noticed that the right auxiliary tank was overfilled, but did not worry about it. When he attempted to start the right engine, the right wing exploded. The airplane had recently been painted. During the painting process, both wings had been removed and replaced. The investigation revealed the fuel vapor return lines for the main and auxiliary tanks in the right wing had been reversed, and that the vent for the auxiliary tank had been disconnected, allowing the auxiliary tank to vent to the interior of the right wing.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,800 as pilot in command; 30 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,880 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 11, 1993; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GRB
- Destination: RFD Rockford IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from GRB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.