Maule MX7-235 accident near Polk City, Florida, July 25, 1995
On July 25, 1995 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Maule MX7-235, registered N334BL, was destroyed in an accident near Polk City, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A FIRE FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON(S).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1995 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Polk City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule MX7-235 · all MX7-235s on the register
- Registration
- N334BL · no longer on the register · serial 4071C
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD LANDED ABOUT 30 MIN EARLIER ON A CANAL, TAXIED UP A RAMP ONTO LAND, AND SHUT DOWN. THE PILOT, INSTRUCTOR AND A PASSENGER SUBSEQUENTLY BOARDED THE AIRPLANE. DURING THE ENGINE START, THE ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE. FAA PERSONNEL EXAMINED THE WRECKAGE; THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 18,074 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 214 in the last 90 days; 87 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 290 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1994; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-W1A5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from ORL, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.