Beechcraft A36 N91TD

Summary

On 8 November 2009 at about 17:30 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N91TD was involved in an accident near Spring Branch, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 November 2009 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Spring Branch, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.8189, -98.4361

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N91TD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kerrville → Pearland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10FA044

3 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during cruise flight in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to this accident was the pilot’s lack of recent experience in flying in instrument meteorological conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on an instrument flight rules flight and was level at 9,000 feet mean sea level. Radar data showed that the airplane was flown in an area of heavy intensity rain echoes and was on a meandering course generally eastbound when it then began a shallow turn to the left and then began turning to the right. Radar data for the last 14 seconds of the flight showed that the airplane began a descent and was still turning to the right. Radio and radar contact was then lost. Two witnesses near the accident site reported hearing a loud noise and then seeing something very large with lots of smaller pieces falling out of the clouds. Separated portions of the airplane impacted terrain in a generally circular area about 500 feet in diameter, consistent with an in-flight breakup at a low altitude. A postaccident examination of the airplane showed no anomalies with the engine or other systems. A review of the pilot’s logbook showed that his last instrument flight experience was nearly 2 years prior to the accident. It also showed the pilot had recently purchased the airplane and had approximately 4 hours of flight time in it. A sedating antihistamine with impairing effects was found during a postmortem toxicological examination of tissue from the pilot, but no blood was available for analysis, so no determination could be made regarding how recently the medication might have been taken or whether the pilot could have been impaired by its use at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.