Beech 36 accident near Portland, Oregon, May 8, 1999
On May 8, 1999 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Beech 36, registered N6222V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Portland, Oregon (Portland International 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Improper installation of the strobe light system. Factors include a leak in the fuel bladder and electrical arcing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 1999 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Portland, Oregon · Portland International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 36 · all 36s on the register
- Registration
- N6222V · no longer on the register · serial E-3
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, the pilot heard a loud explosion and the aircraft violently yawed to the left. The aircraft veered off the runway and came to rest in a grassy area between the runway and the taxiway. Examination of the aircraft's fuel system revealed evidence of a preexisting fuel leak. Blue streaking and staining, consistent in color with 100 low lead aviation fuel, was noted on the ventral surfaces of the aircraft. Examination of the aircraft's fuel bladder revealed that the plastic interconnect nipple for the vent line, and the plastic interconnect nipple for the fuel return line, located at the distal end of the aircraft's fuel bladder, were fractured. Further examination of the fuel bladder revealed approximately 20 preexisting holes in the bladder's fabric. The aircraft's maintenance logbook indicated that the aircraft was equipped with a strobe light kit. Examination of the strobe light system revealed that the installation of the strobe kit was not in accordance with the manufacture's installation instructions. Instead, the wiring harness for the strobe light was routed parallel to a stringer, between the wing ribs and the skin of the aircraft. Examination of the wiring revealed that the wire's insulation was chafed, cut and discolored. The discoloration of the wiring was indicative of arcing.
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, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command; 106 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1998; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDX at 9:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from PDX
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.
Other NTSB records under N6222V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.