Beech A36 accident near Chamblee, Georgia, January 29, 1995
On January 29, 1995 at about 9:56 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N3086T, was destroyed in an accident near Chamblee, Georgia (Dekalb-Peachtree airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S LACK OF PROFICIENCY (RECENT EXPERIENCE) IN INSTRUMENT FLYING, AND IMPROPER APPROACH CONTROL SERVICE BY VECTORING THE AIRPLANE ONTO THE ILS LOCALIZER COURSE AT AN INADEQUATE DISTANCE FROM THE OUTER MARKER AND AT AN INTERCEPT ANGLE THAT DID NOT ALLOW THE PILOT TO ESTABLISH A STABILIZED APPROACH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1995 · about 9:56 pm local time
- Place
- Chamblee, Georgia · Dekalb-Peachtree · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N3086T · registry record · serial E-2309
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS PROVIDED VECTORS FOR AN ILS RUNWAY 20L APPROACH IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC). IN ANTICIPATION OF OTHER TRAFFIC, THE RADAR CONTROLLER VECTORED THE AIRCRAFT ONTO A CLOSE-IN FINAL APPROACH. THE AIRCRAFT INTERCEPTED THE LOCALIZER ABOUT .5 MILE OUTSIDE THE OUTER MARKER WITH A 35-DEGREE INTERCEPT. THE ILS APPROACH GATE IS DEFINED AS BEING 1 MILE OUTSIDE THE OUTER MARKER, AND AIRCRAFT ARE REQUIRED TO BE VECTORED TO INTERCEPT AT LEAST 2 MILES OUTSIDE THE GATE. (ACCORDING TO FAA ORDER 7110.65G, THE MAXIMUM ANGLE OF INTERCEPT WITHIN 2 MILES OF THE APPROACH GATE IS 20 DEGREES.) RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT, ABOUT 2.5 MILES FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, THERE WERE ERRATIC HEADING AND ALTITUDE EXCURSIONS. THESE LASTED FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES, AND THEN THE PILOT CALLED A MISSED APPROACH. DURING THE MISSED APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A DESCENDING RIGHT TURN AND CRASHED. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AT HIGH RPM AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE AUTOPILOT DID NOT INDICATE EVIDENCE OF MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT ANY AIRCRAFT PROBLEMS. THE PILOT HAD JUST ATTENDED A BONANZA OWNER'S PROFICIENCY COURSE. AN INSTRUCTOR FOR THAT COURSE SAID THE PILOT'S SKILLS AT INSTRUMENT FLYING WERE POOR AND THAT HE WOULD NOT SIGN OFF THE PILOT'S INSTRUMENT COMPETENCY CHECK.
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: 600 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,728 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1994; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORL Orlando FL at 7:03 pm
- Destination: PDK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 20L, 6,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PDK, 1 miles away
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.
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.