Beech A36 accident near Rio Oso, California, December 4, 2017
On December 4, 2017 at about 3:20 pm local time, a 1981 Beech A36, registered N251E, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Rio Oso, California (Yuba County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight fire due to electrical arc corrosion of the fuel line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 2017 · about 3:20 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Rio Oso, California · Yuba County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 UNDESIGNAT, built 1981 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N251E · no longer on the register · serial E-1962
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during cruise flight, he saw flickering from below his seat and that he observed a fire had started when he looked under his seat. He made an emergency landing to an open field and exited the airplane before it burst into flames. The cockpit was thermally damaged, and the airplane sustained substantial damaged to the undercarriage of the fuselage. Examination of the fuel selector valve trim panel with attached wires, a fuel flow valve with fuel lines, and a portion of electrical wiring revealed a pin hole in a fuel line near the fuel selector valve as well as damaged electrical wiring. Damage to the fuel line was consistent with electrical arc corrosion.
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
What happened, in order
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute (descent)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › Electrical pwr sys wiring › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the electrical power
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,023 hours in all; 261 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 6,108 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 22, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,917.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,651 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B (piston); 17,483 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCC Sacramento CA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: MYV Marysville CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 15 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 6°F (-14°C), dew point -1°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from MCC, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on December 21, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpt Maintenance Logs | PDF, 27 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | FAA Photos | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N251E: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Beechcraft A36 Bonanza 2,530 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B 373 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Yuba County · nearest airport
- MC Clellan Airfield · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR18LA043.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.