Beech V35A-TC accident near Santa Ynez, California, September 21, 1996
On September 21, 1996 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Beech V35A-TC, registered N7956M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Ynez, California. 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
failure of a maintenance technician to properly torque the fuel injector lines to three cylinders.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1996 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Ynez, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech V35A-TC · all V35A-TCs on the register
- Registration
- N7956M · registry record · serial D-8823
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a dual instructional flight, the pilots observed smoke coming from an area behind the instrument panel. The flight instructor (CFI) took control of the aircraft, while they performed the emergency procedure for in-flight fire. The smoke cleared and the instructor gave control back to the owner/pilot. As they were approaching the airport with gear and flaps extended, they attempted to add power to reach the airport. The engine failed to respond, and a forced landing was performed short of the airport. During the forced landing on unprepared terrain, the aircraft was damaged. The aircraft had flown 2.5 hours since the last annual inspection. Postaccident examination revealed three loose injector lines for the left side cylinders. Fuel dye and fire damage was evident on the left side, where the ignition wires were burnt and the cowling was distorted. All fuel injectors had been removed for cleaning and reinstallation with new seals. After the annual inspection, the aircraft had been taken to another shop to repair an engine baffle on the left side. The aircraft had been flown 1.8 hours since repair of the engine baffle.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,380 hours in all; 190 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command; 645 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,262 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 1996; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IZA CA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: SBA Santa Barbara CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:45 pm from IZA
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.
Other NTSB records under N7956M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 LAX96LA341.