Beech C24R accident near Monterey, California, November 26, 1983
On November 26, 1983 at about 4:30 am local time, a Beech C24R, registered N3824R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monterey, California (Monterey 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 1983 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Monterey, California · Monterey · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C24R · all C24Rs on the register
- Registration
- N3824R · registry record · serial MC 741
- 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
FIRE ERUPTED IN THE ENG COMPARTMENT DURING THE ENG RUN-UP. INVESTIGAITON REVEALED THAT 7 OF THE 8 NUTS SECURING THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD TO THE CYLINDERS WERE MISSING. THE ONLY NUT PRESENT WAS LOOSE BUT RETAINED THE #1 CYL EXHAUST TUBE. THE #2 CYL EXHAUST TUBE, THOUGH NOT SECURED, WAS IN PLACE. THE #3 & #4 CYL EXHAUST TUBES WERE UNRESTRAINED & HAD DROPPEDDOWN, ALLOWING EXHAUST GASES TO ESCAPE. HEAT DAMAGE ALONG THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENG WAS MUCH WORSE THAT ON THE RIGHT SIDE, & THE FUEL PUMP FUEL LINE WAS BURNED ENOUGH TO ALLOW FUEL UNDER PRESSURE TO ESCAPE INTO THE ENG COMPARTMENT.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,116 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 4,770 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 876 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 16, 1983; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: California Aviation Services
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Observation at 4:45 am from MRY
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.