Bellanca 14-19 accident near Casa Grande, AZ
On May 1, 2001, a Bellanca 14-19 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Casa Grande, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 1, 2001
- Place
- Casa Grande, AZ
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 14-19 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.955°N, 111.767°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010518X00957
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 30, 2001, at 1850 mountain standard time, a Bellanca 14-19, N521A, caught fire and exploded while making a precautionary landing at Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ), Casa Grande, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed and the certificated airline transport pilot and one of his two passengers received serious injuries. The second passenger sustained serious thermal burns and succumbed to her injuries 20 days after the accident. The airplane was being operated as a personal flight by the owner/pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. The local flight had originated from Chandler Municipal Airport (CHD), Chandler, Arizona, about 1830. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed. The front seat passenger reported that a fluid leak had developed from an area behind the right side of the instrument panel, and was dripping on the floor near the rudder pedals. The pilot stated that the fluid was coming from an inspection panel on the firewall and that the fluid was clear. The pilot then pulled back the power slowly and headed for Casa Grande airport and subsequently attempted a precautionary landing in order to determine the extent of the problem. The passenger described the touchdown and rollout as normal until an explosion occurred, which filled the cabin area with flames. A second witness, who was downwind in the traffic pattern, stated that the airplane had landed without incident on runway 05. It was on rollout when flames appeared from beneath the forward part of fuselage.
Probable cause
A fuel leak on the cabin and engine sides of the firewall with a probable origin at the firewall pass-through fitting for the fuel pressure gage line. The fire likely began on the engine side of the firewall near the bottom with the explosive ignition of the pooled fuel/vapors in the cockpit after burn through penetration of the fuselage fabric skin on the bottom aft side of the firewall. Further
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · Bellanca aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
