Beech 35-C33 accident near Rockwall, Texas, August 11, 2011
On August 11, 2011 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech 35-C33, registered N12CA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall 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 loss of control while landing with a tailwind due to his misinterpretation of the wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2011 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rockwall, Texas · Rockwall Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35-C33 · all 35-C33s on the register
- Registration
- N12CA · no longer on the register · serial CD-1025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was returning to his home airport and obtained the automated weather information from a nearby airport. The pilot misinterpreted the wind direction, which was from 010 degrees at 9 knots, as 110 degrees at 9 knots. As a result, the pilot landed long on runway 17 with a left quartering tailwind, bounced, and tried to turn onto a taxiway with too much speed. The pilot was unable to slow the airplane down and subsequently went off the end of the runway into a construction zone. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the firewall and left wing spar were substantially damaged. No mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation were noted with the airplane or its systems.
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 on ground during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 191 hours in all; 147 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYS Hays Municipal KS
- Destination: F46 Rockwall TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 17
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from HQZ, 12 miles away
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.
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.