Taylorcraft L2A accident near Shelbyville, Indiana, August 11, 1997
On August 11, 1997 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Taylorcraft L2A, registered N51372, was destroyed in an accident near Shelbyville, Indiana (Shelbyville Municipal airport). 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
the inadequate preflight by the pilot and the loose fuel line fitting.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 1997 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Shelbyville, Indiana · Shelbyville Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Taylorcraft L2A · all L2As on the register
- Registration
- N51372 · no longer on the register · serial 4714
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a ferry flight of the airplane since it had not received an annual maintenance inspection since November 15, 1994. Shortly after takeoff, he detected a fuel odor and returned to inspect the airplane. No fuel leaks were detected. Five minutes after the second takeoff, he felt drops of fuel falling from an area near the right wing overhead fuel line. Fuel appeared to be leaking into the cockpit around the fabric patch surrounding the main fuel inlet line. During the base-to-final turn, a large quantity of fuel poured into the cockpit. The pilot made a short field landing and turned off the magnetos and shut off the fuel control handle during landing rollout. He exited the airplane and tried to push the airplane off the runway. The fuel ignited and the airplane was engulfed in flames within seconds. An examination of the fuel system revealed that the right wing fuel tank's fuel line located at the forward inboard area was completely disconnected. The fuel line incorporated a flare type fitting that appeared to have come unscrewed from its receptacle.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,750 hours in all; 280 in this make and model; 19,873 as pilot in command; 3,050 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,480 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 1994; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-75-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3SM at 7:15 pm
- Destination: 5NC1 Tara Field NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,732 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from IND, 25 miles away
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.