Beech A36 accident near Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 20, 2014
On August 20, 2014 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1988 Beech A36, registered N3084Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Grand Rapids, Michigan (Gerald R. Ford Intl 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 extend the landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2014 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Rapids, Michigan · Gerald R. Ford Intl Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36, built 1988 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N3084Z · registry record · serial E-2426
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, upon touchdown, he heard the lower fuselage scraping the runway. The pilot stated that he failed to extend the landing gear before landing because he had been distracted with flying a practice instrument approach. The airplane was hoisted off the runway during recovery, and the landing gear was subsequently extended normally. No anomalies were identified with the landing gear extension system that would have prevented normal operation.
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
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 750 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 31, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,157.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 2014; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,651 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B (piston); 2,157 hours total
- Operator: 7 Yrs 700, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SBN South Bend IN at 8:00 pm
- Destination: GRR Grand Rapids MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from GRR
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.