Beechcraft 95-B55 N3681K

Summary

On 20 November 1997 at about 14:30 local time, a Beechcraft 95-B55 registered N3681K was involved in an accident near Burlington, Kansas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 November 1997 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Burlington, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

38.1900, -95.7401

Aircraft

Beechcraft 95-B55

Registration

N3681K

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rogers → Concordia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98LA041

Nobody was injured.

an undetermined event resulting in the door seal inflation pump catching fire, the pilot's failure to close the cockpit air vents allowing heat and flames from the airplane's nose section to melt electrical wiring behind the instrument panel, and the pilot overshooting the road during his precautionary landing. A factor contributing to this accident was the trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said they were about 40 minutes into their flight when 'my passenger and I heard the pneumatic door seal give way.' He recycled the switch, but nothing happened. A few minutes later, the pilot and passenger noticed 'the faint smell of electrical burn.' The pilot switched the heater off and the smell seemed to subside. He switched the heater back on and noticed a stronger smell immediately. Black smoke began to enter the cabin from above and beneath the instrument panel. The pilot said that as he reached for the throttle, he noticed 'that there was orange spark and flame under the panel.' He initiated a steep descent and began looking for a place to land. He located a north-south running dirt road, and initiated a 180-degree turn to land. The pilot overshot the road and decided that he didn't have enough altitude and airspeed to maneuver back to the road. He leveled the airplane and landed in a field. During the landing, the airplane encountered uneven (rising) terrain and trees. An exam of the airplane revealed the door seal inflation pump was heavily charred. An exam of the cabin revealed the door inflation seal around the cabin door was missing, both forward air vents were in the open position, and plastic insulation surrounding electrical wiring in front of the right air vent was melted. Melted plastic was observed on the floor, beneath the right side air vent. No other anomaly was found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.