Beech A36 accident near Selma, Alabama, October 17, 1991
On October 17, 1991 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N3735Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Selma, Alabama (Craig Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1991 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Selma, Alabama · Craig Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N3735Y · no longer on the register · serial E-1767
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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: 358 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 271 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,070 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 1991; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 8,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N3735Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.