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NYC90LA056

1990-01-16 · DANBURY, Connecticut, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport DXR

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

IMPROPER MAINTENANCE, INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE BY THE COMPANY/OPERATOR, AND INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN A FIRE DURING AN ATTEMPTED ENGINE START. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE UNSECURED FUEL LINE.

Factual narrative

THE CESSNA 172 WAS INVOLVED IN A CARBURETOR FIRE ON 1/13/90 & TAKEN TO A HANGAR WHERE THE AIR CLEANER & CARBURETOR WERE REMOVED. THE FUEL LINE WAS NOT CAPPED & THE LOWER COWLING WAS REATTACHED WITH ONLY TWO SCREWS HOLDING IT. NO PLACARD WAS PLACED IN THE COCKPIT NOR WAS THE KEY MADE UNAVAILABLE FOR RENTAL. THE PLANE WAS RETURNED TO THE LINE FOR PARKING. THREE DAYS LATER, A PILOT CAME TO THE AIRPORT, ASKED THE ATTENDANT FOR THE KEY & PROCEEDED TO THE PLANE. HE SAID HE MADE A PREFLIGHT 'USING THE MANUAL.' HE THEN ENTERED THE COCKPIT & ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENGINE. HOWEVER, A FIRE ERUPTED & THE PLT EXITED THE AIRPLANE THROUGH THE FIRE, RECEIVING BURNS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_NYC90LA056.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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