Boeing E75 accident near Morgan Hill, California, August 25, 2006
On August 25, 2006 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Boeing E75, registered N58980, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morgan Hill, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Excessive fuel flow through the carburetor which resulted in leaking fuel, and subsequent in-flight fire while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2006 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Morgan Hill, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing E75 · all E75s on the register
- Registration
- N58980 · registry record · serial 75-5800
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in an aerobatic maneuver, the pilot encountered an engine fire. The pilot leaned the mixture, extinguishing the fire, and after an unsuccessful restart attempt, preformed an emergency landing to a field. The airplane came to rest inverted. Post accident examination of the airplane showed that fuel was leaking at a rapid rate from the carburetor. After the carburetor was removed from the airframe, fuel was supplied to the bowl and the float floated to a level that shut off the flow of fuel. The carburetor fuel flow anomaly could not be reproduced following removal of the carburetor from the 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 23,800 as pilot in command; 8,895 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2005; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental R-670 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV Reid-Hillview CA at 8:10 pm
- Destination: RHV
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from KRHV, 14 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.
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.