Beech B36 accident near Ranger, Texas, October 6, 2019
On October 6, 2019 at about 1:35 pm local time, a 1984 Beech B36, registered N36LS, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Ranger, Texas (Ranger Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A lack of climb performance after takeoff for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2019 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- Ranger, Texas · Ranger Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B36 TC, built 1984 · all B36s on the register
- Registration
- N36LS · no longer on the register · serial EA-431
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and three passengers were departing on a cross-country flight from a turf runway. The pilot stated that he used a soft-field takeoff technique, and once the airplane became airborne in ground effect, it did not accelerate as expected. The engine was producing power; however, there was a lack of acceleration and a “mushy” feeling. The airspeed continued to decrease, and the pilot banked the airplane left to make an emergency landing off the left side of the runway. The pilot heard the airplane’s stall warning horn, and the airplane collided with small trees and came to rest upright. A postaccident test run of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have prevented normal operation or production of rated power. Data from an engine data monitor revealed that, during the accident takeoff, the engine speed reached about 2,700 rpm, the engine manifold pressure was 35.2 inches of mercury (inHg), and the fuel flow reached 40.5 gallons per hour (gph). A review of the previous three flights showed that the fuel flow regularly reached 38 to 40 gph during takeoff. The airplane flight manual stated that at 2,700 rpm and 36.0 inHg, the maximum fuel flow was 34.2 gph. The reason for this difference was not determined.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 3,792 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 2,470 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,780.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 7, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 3,850 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors TSIO-520-UB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F23 Ranger TX
- Destination: T67 Forth Worth TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 3,415 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
15 documents, released by the NTSB on March 8, 2022. 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.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N36LS 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.