Amateur-built 350 HP accident near Magnolia, Texas, October 18, 2007
On October 18, 2007 at about 10:45 pm local time, a amateur-built 350 HP, registered N901RC, was destroyed in an accident near Magnolia, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight fire and loss of engine power as a result of a ruptured fuel line for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2007 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Magnolia, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 350 HP
- Registration
- N901RC · no longer on the register · serial 015
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 3,000-hour private pilot reported that the experimental single-engine airplane was in cruise flight at 1,500 feet on a VFR cross-country when heat and smoke began to enter the cockpit. In a written statement, the pilot/owner stated that a steel-braided fuel line/hose ruptured and subsequently sprayed fuel on the exhaust and ignition wires, which caused intense heat that burned a hole thru the airplane's firewall. The pilot added that he immediately elected to initiate a forced landing to a field, and shortly before the airplane touched-down, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane landed short of the field and the left wing collided with two large fence posts and ruptured the fuel tank, which caused it to explode. The pilot and the two passengers exited the airplane from the right side before the airplane was completely consumed by fire. The pilot reported that the airplane's maintenance logbooks were onboard the airplane and were destroyed by the fire. He also stated that the fuel line was approximately three-years old, and he did not know how the rupture could have been prevented. The homebuilt airplane was reported to have accumulated a total of 677-hours and was powered by a 350 cubic inche Chevrolet engine.
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: 3,000 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 677 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Chevrolet 350 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CXO Conroe TX
- Destination: IWS Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.