Beech 58 accident near San Antonio, Texas, October 24, 1989
On October 24, 1989 at about 6:38 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N950JP, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Antonio, Texas (San Antonio Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
A FUEL TANK LEAK, ARCING FROM THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING SYSTEM, AND FAILURE OF COMPANY/MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO COMPLY WITH AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE (AD).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 1989 · about 6:38 am local time
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas · San Antonio Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N950JP · no longer on the register · serial TH432
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF, HE ACTIVATED THE STROBE LIGHTS AND TRANSPONDER. APPROXIMATELY 2 TO 5 SECONDS LATER, A MINOR EXPLOSION OCCURRED AND FIRE ENGULFED THE RIGHT WING. THE AIRPLANE HAD A RECENT HISTORY OF FUEL LEAKS IN THE RIGHT WING. A REVIEW OF THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVEALED THAT AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE (AD) 74-24-03 HAD NOT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THE AD STATED, 'TO PRECLUDE POSSIBLE IGNITION OF FLAMMABLE FLUIDS AND VAPORS BY ARCING BETWEEN THE STROBE LIGHT AND AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE, DEACTIVATE THE STROBE LIGHT SYSTEM.' THE OPERATOR'S APPROVED AIRCRAFT INSPECTION PROGRAM (AAIP) DID NOT ADDRESS FUEL SYSTEMS AND RELATED COMPONENTS. THE FAA SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED DIRECTIVES REVISING THE OPERATOR'S AAIP TO INCLUDE ROUTINE INSPECTIONS OF FUEL SYSTEMS AND RELATED COMPONENTS.
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: 1,500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 63 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,791 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 16, 1989; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Air Exchange
The flight
- Departed from: SAT at 6:38 am
- Destination: DAL Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 7,505 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.