Beech A36 accident near Salina, Kansas, October 18, 2008
On October 18, 2008 at about 7:02 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N3112Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Salina, Kansas (Salina Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly manage the available fuel supply, which resulted in fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2008 · about 7:02 pm local time
- Place
- Salina, Kansas · Salina Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N3112Y · registry record · serial E-2410
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was on final approach in his single-engine airplane when the engine stopped producing power shortly after he switched fuel tanks. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and made a forced landing on a road near the airport. Examination of the airplane revealed structural damage to the firewall near the left engine mount. When baterry power was applied, the left fuel guage indicated it was empty and the right fuel tank was between 1/4- and 1/2-full. No mechanical deficiencie were noted with the airplane or engine.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 260 hours in all; 31 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Uknown
- Destination: KSLN Salina KS
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KSLN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09CA038.