Beech 65 accident near Sedona, Arizona, March 9, 2004
On March 9, 2004 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech 65, registered N751T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sedona, Arizona (Sedona Airport). It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an explosion of the left outboard wing, resulting from a leaking fuel line and the ignition of the flammable fuel/air mixture in the outboard wing bays; the source of ignition energy for the explosion could not be determined. A factor in the accident was an improper maintenance installation of a foreign material patch to fix a fuel leak.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2004 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sedona, Arizona · Sedona Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65 · all 65s on the register
- Registration
- N751T · registry record · serial LC-223
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's left wing exploded while the pilot was taxiing from landing. After landing, the pilot maneuvered the airplane in a turn in an effort to taxi off the runway. While turning, the outboard section of the left wing exploded and a small fire erupted. The pilot noted that during the landing neither the navigation nor strobe lights were in the "on" position. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector found a small piece of material, resembling leather, wrapped around a portion of the fuel line with a clamp affixed, keeping it in place. The location of the clamped material around the fuel line was in an area of the most damage. On the skin material around the fuel line, he noted a dark gummy substance, consistent with the appearance of residual fuel. He opined that the clamped material was installed in an effort to fix a fuel leak. He also thought that after the material became saturated with fuel, fuel vapors filled the outboard cavity of the wing. The airplane's parts manual revealed that the electrical wiring in the outboard section of the left wing consists of wiring for the navigation light, the landing light, and the stall warning indicator. The fuel line runs behind the leading edge to the outboard tanks of the 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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 477 hours in all; 203 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 8, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,463 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 2003; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,700 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IGSO-480-A1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IGSO-480-A1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SJN St. Johns AZ at 8:00 pm
- Destination: SEZ Sedona AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,132 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from FLG, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX04LA159.