Beechcraft A36 N3735Y
17 October 1991 · Selma, Alabama, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 17 October 1991 at about 21:45 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N3735Y, operated by Gray, Thomas L., was involved in an accident near Selma, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Selma, Alabama, United States
- Nearest airport
- Craig Field (SEM)
- Coordinates
- 32.4097, -87.0305
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft A36
- Registration
- N3735Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Gray, Thomas L.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL92LA010
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT COUNTERWEIGHT BLADE, WHICH RESULTED FROM EXCESSIVE WEAR OF THE COUNTERWEIGHT PIN BUSHINGS, DUE TO CORROSION FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT, THE ENGINE RPM DECREASED, MOMENTARILY. THE PILOT LANDED AND A MECHANIC CHECKED THE ENGINE. NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND. A POST MAINTENANCE FLIGHT, IN THE LANDING PATTERN, WAS FLOWN TO VERIFY ENGINE OPERATION. ON FINAL APPROACH, THE ENGINE QUIT, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS LANDED IN ROUGH TERRAIN SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER 2 CHECK COUNTERWEIGHT BLADE WAS FRACTURED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION DISCOVERED CORROSION PITTING ON THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE COUNTERWEIGHT PIN BUSHINGS, AS WELL AS EXCESSIVE INNER DIAMETER WEAR. THE COUNTERWEIGHT BLADE FRACTURE EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE. A LOG BOOK ENTRY INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISASSEMBLED FOR EXAMINATION FOLLOWING A LIGHTNING STRIKE. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF AN ENGINE OVERHAUL. THE SAFETY BOARD BELIEVES THAT THE COUNTERWEIGHT FAILED IN FATIGUE, BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS PITTING DAMAGE TO THE BUSHINGS, FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft A36 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 May 1991 | Beechcraft A36 | Rawlins, Wyoming, United States | John L. Ronacher | No injuries | - |
| 11 Apr 1991 | Beechcraft A36 | Punta Gorda, Florida, United States | Braukman & Sullivan | No injuries | - |
| 10 Dec 1991 | Beechcraft A36 | Rensselaer, Indiana, United States | Rose Acre Farms | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Dec 1991 | Beechcraft A36 | Wilmington, Ohio, United States | John E. Schweller | Fatal | 3 |
| 15 May 1991 | Beechcraft A36 | Caldwell, Texas, United States | Airtech Avionics, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 1 Jun 1991 | Beechcraft A36 | Lakeview, Arkansas, United States | Sound-Craft Systems, Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 1991 | Globe GC-1D | Brewton, Alabama, United States | Jang, Kenneth | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 1991 | Rockwell 114 | Bessemer, Alabama, United States | Frank, Randal W. | Fatal | 4 |
| 7 Feb 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Munford, Alabama, United States | MacOn Horizons, Inc | Fatal | 4 |
| 22 Mar 1991 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Ashland, Alabama, United States | Sunny Skies, Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
| 20 Jul 1991 | Taylorcraft BC12-D | Mobile, Alabama, United States | Bean, Edwin A. | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 1991 | Cessna C-172N | Alabaster, Alabama, United States | Teleunion Corp. | Fatal | 2 |