Beechcraft A36TC N3862C

Summary

On 22 April 2012 at about 00:17 local time, a Beechcraft A36TC registered N3862C was involved in an accident near Pendleton, Oregon, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 April 2012 at 00:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Pendleton, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Pendleton (PDT)

Coordinates

45.6950, -118.2581

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36TC

Registration

N3862C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pendleton → Hermiston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA178

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate glidepath for landing, which resulted in a collision with terrain short of the runway. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to secure the left-side fuel cap before departure. Contributing to the pilot's injuries was the broken shoulder harness.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane had been refueled before the flight and that the fuel had expanded during the day due to heat, which resulted in fuel draining from the vent. The pilot loosened the fuel caps to facilitate draining excess fuel from the tank; however, he forgot to resecure the left-side cap after he finished draining the fuel. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported to an air traffic controller that one of the airplane's fuel caps was not secure and requested permission to return to the airport for landing. However, the pilot did not maintain an adequate glidepath during the approach, and the airplane impacted terrain short of the runway. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. During the impact sequence, the pilot's shoulder harness webbing separated, resulting in a serious injury. Examination showed that the webbing met the original load requirements as specified by the manufacturer, and no photodegradation was evident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.