Beech A36 accident near Armuchee, Georgia, November 28, 1983
On November 28, 1983 at about 3:35 am local time, a Beech A36, registered N3801N, was destroyed in an accident near Armuchee, Georgia (Richard B. Russell airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 1983 · about 3:35 am local time
- Place
- Armuchee, Georgia · Richard B. Russell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N3801N · no longer on the register · serial E-1777
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND HIGHER TERRAIN WHICH WAS ADJACENT TO THE VOR APPROACH PATH. THE WEATHER WAS DESCRIBED BY WITNESSES AS STORMY WITH HEAVY RAINS AND HIGH WINDS. SOME OF THE OCCUPANTS OF THE ACCIDENT ACFT WERE AIRSICK ACCORDING TO THE PLTS RADIO REPORT. THE ACFT WAS CLEARED FOR THE VOR APPROACH. HE WAS TOLD TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT MSL UNTILINBOUND ON TRACK AND THEN DESCEND TO 3200 FT. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED. LATER THE PLT REPORTED THE INITIAL APPROACH FIX. ABOUT ONE MINUTE LATER APPROACH LOST RADAR CONTACT. WHEN LAST IN RADAR CONTACT HE WAS OUT OF 2700 FT AND 'RIGHT ON THE APPROACH'. THE ACFT HIT THE WEST SLOPE OF ST. JOHN'S MT AT ABOUT 1560 FT MSL.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,435 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 1,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 782 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 12, 1983; 141 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DKX Knoxville TN at 2:18 am
- Destination: RMG Rome GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.