Beech A36 accident near Farmington, PA
On December 11, 2015, a Beech A36 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Farmington, PA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 11, 2015
- Place
- Farmington, PA
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.814°N, 79.535°W
- NTSB ID
- 20151211X62058
Official records · ERA16FA064
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 11, 2015, about 1422 eastern standard time, a Beech A36, N72054, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain shortly after takeoff from Nemacolin Airport (PA88), Farmington, Pennsylvania. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was destined for Montgomery County Airport (GAI), Gaithersburg, Maryland. PA88 was located on the property of the Nemacolin Woodland Resort. A witness who was staying at the resort, who viewed the airplane from his hotel room which was located on the northwest side of the runway reported that, after takeoff from runway 23, the airplane's landing gear retracted, and the airplane appeared to be departing the area; however, the airplane continued to turn as if entering the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. The landing gear extended, and the airplane began to descend. The airplane continued to descend in a turn consistent with a left base for runway 23; the witness then lost sight of the airplane behind terrain. Shortly after, he observed smoke. Another witness who was standing about 2,500 ft southeast of the runway saw the airplane pass overhead with the landing gear down. He stated that the airplane was "pretty low" and that the engine sounded normal. He saw the airplane bank to the left, and then he lost sight of it behind buildings; he then heard an impact and
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane after a cabin door came open in flight, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's misuse of amphetamine.
More accidents in PA
- Boeing B-737-300, Sep 8, 1994
- Boeing 757, Sep 11, 2001
- British Aerospace J-3101, May 21, 2000
- Bell UH-1N, May 29, 2008
- Beech A36, Jul 30, 1989
Browse: Pennsylvania · Beech 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.
