Interstate S-1A accident near Amarillo, Texas, January 12, 1995
On January 12, 1995 at about 11:22 pm local time, a Interstate S-1A, registered N37239, was destroyed in an accident near Amarillo, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN INFLIGHT FIRE, THE REASON FOR WHICH WAS UNDETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1995 · about 11:22 pm local time
- Place
- Amarillo, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Interstate S-1A · all S-1As on the register
- Registration
- N37239 · registry record · serial 82
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR AND CERTIFICATED PILOT HAD BEEN PRACTICING MANEUVERS FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES WHEN THEY SMELLED 'SOMETHING FUNNY.' SMOKE THEN APPEARED BENEATH THE FRONT FLOORBOARDS, FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER BY FLAMES. THE INSTRUCTOR MADE A SUCCESSFUL OFF-AIRPORT EMERGENCY LANDING AND THE TWO PILOTS EVACUATED THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE. EVIDENCE INDICATES THE FIRE WAS CONFINED AFT OF THE FIREWALL BUT THE IGNITION SOURCE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE ENGINE AND EXHAUST SYSTEM WERE INTACT AND NO ANOMALIES NOTED.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,564 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 123 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 1,129 as pilot in command; 734 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,783 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 1, 1994; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,240 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A75-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TDW TX at 11:01 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from AMA, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.