Beechcraft A36 accident near Dallas, Texas, October 12, 2015
On October 12, 2015 at about 6:40 pm local time, a 1990 Beechcraft A36, registered N55674, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Dallas, Texas (Dallas Love Field 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 improper navigation onto a vehicle service road while taxiing and his subsequent distraction while looking at an airport diagram, which led to the airplane impacting a fence post.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2015 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Dallas, Texas · Dallas Love Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft A36, built 1990 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N55674 · registry record · serial E-2542
- 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 he was taxiing for takeoff when he inadvertently turned onto a vehicle service road instead of the taxiway as he was leaving the ramp area. He then looked down to review the airport diagram on his tablet. As he was reviewing the airport diagram while still taxiing, the left wing impacted a fence post. The airplane's nose then turned left, and the front of the airplane impacted a vehicle gate, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.
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
- Ground handling event during taxi defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,950 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 2,537 as pilot in command; 78 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 3,651 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550B (piston); 272 hours total
- Operator: Frog Air LLC
The flight
- Departed from: DAL Dallas TX at 6:40 pm
- Destination: AMA Amarillo TX
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from DAL
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.