Beech 36 accident near Fredericksburg, Texas, January 17, 2019
On January 17, 2019 at about 10:50 pm local time, a 1978 Beech 36, registered N2021T, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Fredericksburg, Texas (Gillespie County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fatigue failure of the crankshaft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 2019 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Fredericksburg, Texas · Gillespie County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 36 NO SERIES, built 1978 · all 36s on the register
- Registration
- N2021T · no longer on the register · serial E-1325
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident pilot was in cruise flight in a single-engine airplane when he declared "mayday" on the radio, stating the airplane's engine was on fire. The accident airplane impacted a field, crossed a road, and came to rest upright. A postcrash fire consumed the majority of the airframe. The airplane was equipped with a turbo-charged reciprocating engine and propeller that had been converted under a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). The engine had accumulated 412.2 hours between the last overhaul and the last annual inspection. The last inspection was about three months before the accident. An examination of the engine revealed fire damage and limited rotation. Disassembly of the engine revealed a broken camshaft and crankshaft. Metallurgical examination of the crankshaft revealed crack arrest marks in the crankshaft, consistent with fatigue, which initiated in the fillet radius at the forward end of the number 6 connecting rod journal. Multiple crack origins and prominent crack arrest lines were consistent with a relatively high stress associated with crack initiation. However, a reason for the high stress or fatigue initiation could not be determined based on the limited airplane records and the damage to the airplane.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during maneuvering
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 550 hours in all; 5 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 28, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,940.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 3,651 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TSIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
- Operator: Big Fuga LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 1T8 San Antonio TX
- Destination: 1T8 San Antonio TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from T82, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Site Location | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Record (Excerpt) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Records (Excerpt) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 20-013 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 20-013 Errata | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Photos | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.