Beechcraft A36 N6643H

Summary

On 12 December 2023 at about 20:44 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N6643H was involved in an accident near Sidney, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 December 2023 at 20:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Sidney, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Sidney Muni (SCA)

Coordinates

40.2413, -84.1479

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N6643H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sidney → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA064

Nobody was injured.

The pilots’ improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing, runway excursion, and subsequent impact with a terminal sign and taxi light.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The right seat pilot reported that after performing a preflight inspection, he anticipated the airplane would need to be refueled and subsequently left the fuel caps unlocked. After a discussion with the left seat pilot (who was acting as the pilot-in-command), they decided they would not need to refuel before the flight. Both pilots performed another walk around inspection and neither pilot noticed that the fuel caps remained unlocked. Shortly after takeoff, the right seat pilot noticed that both fuel caps were not secure, and that fuel was escaping from both main fuel tanks. He elected to make return to the departure airport and land on the opposite direction runway. The pilots were both manipulating the controls when they landed the airplane “hard” on the main landing gear. The airplane then bounced and veered to the right of the runway, impacting a terminal sign and taxi light. The hard landing and subsequent runway excursion resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.