Beech A36 accident near Spring Branch, Texas, November 8, 2009
On November 8, 2009 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N91TD, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Spring Branch, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were 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 control of the airplane during cruise flight in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to this accident was the pilot’s lack of recent experience in flying in instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2009 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Spring Branch, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N91TD · registry record · serial E-2624
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on an instrument flight rules flight and was level at 9,000 feet mean sea level. Radar data showed that the airplane was flown in an area of heavy intensity rain echoes and was on a meandering course generally eastbound when it then began a shallow turn to the left and then began turning to the right. Radar data for the last 14 seconds of the flight showed that the airplane began a descent and was still turning to the right. Radio and radar contact was then lost. Two witnesses near the accident site reported hearing a loud noise and then seeing something very large with lots of smaller pieces falling out of the clouds. Separated portions of the airplane impacted terrain in a generally circular area about 500 feet in diameter, consistent with an in-flight breakup at a low altitude. A postaccident examination of the airplane showed no anomalies with the engine or other systems. A review of the pilot’s logbook showed that his last instrument flight experience was nearly 2 years prior to the accident. It also showed the pilot had recently purchased the airplane and had approximately 4 hours of flight time in it. A sedating antihistamine with impairing effects was found during a postmortem toxicological examination of tissue from the pilot, but no blood was available for analysis, so no determination could be made regarding how recently the medication might have been taken or whether the pilot could have been impaired by its use at the time of the accident.
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
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Aircraft structural failure during uncontrolled descent
- Part(s) separation from AC during uncontrolled descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent instrument experience › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › Use of medication/drugs › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Physical › Sensory ability/limitation › Vestibular function › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 885 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 8, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,744 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 3, 2008; 329 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B(6) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KERV Kerrville TX at 5:10 pm
- Destination: KLVJ Pearland TX
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 300 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:37 pm from SAT, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N91TD 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.