Beech 36 accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, June 2, 1990
On June 2, 1990 at about 2:18 pm local time, a Beech 36, registered N2003A, was destroyed in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR, WHICH RESULTED IN A WHEELS UP LANDING; HIS IMPROPER DECISION TO ATTEMPT A GO AROUND (ABORTED LANDING) AFTER THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED THE RUNWAY; AND HIS FAILURE TO ATTAIN OR MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CLIMB AFTER LIFTOFF.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 1990 · about 2:18 pm local time
- Place
- Gaithersburg, Maryland · Montgomery County Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 36 · all 36s on the register
- Registration
- N2003A · no longer on the register · serial E-166
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES NOTICED THE AIRPLANE WAS ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 14 WITH THE GEAR UP. SOME OF THE WITNESSES RADIOED THE PILOT TO ALERT HIM OF THE GEAR POSITION, BUT HE DID NOT RESPOND. THE AIRPLANE LANDED GEAR UP, BUT SOON AFTERWARDS, IT BECAME AIRBORNE, CLIMBED ABOUT 30 FEET, AND DESCENDED IN A LEFT BANK. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE GROUND EAST OF THE RUNWAY AND CARTWHEELED; IT CAME TO A STOP ON AN ADJACENT TAXIWAY. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THERE WERE ABOUT 60 PROPELLER SLASH MARKS ON THE RUNWAY. AN AIRCRAFT EXAMINATION DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. EXAMINATION OF THE LANDING GEAR ACTUATOR REVEALED IT WAS IN A TRANSIT POSITION, WHICH WAS ABOUT THREE TURNS OF THE MANUAL GEAR HANDLE FROM THE FULL UP (RETRACTED) POSITION OF THE GEAR.
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
- Flight time: 1,299 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,221 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 27, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Tri-H Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: RIC Richmond VA at 1:33 pm
- Destination: GAI Gaithersburg MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,196 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from BWI, 999 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.