Beech A36 accident near El Dorado, Arkansas, September 23, 2023
On September 23, 2023 at about 9:25 pm local time, a 1990 Beech A36, registered N67CD, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near El Dorado, Arkansas (El Dorado Downtown Airport-Ste). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a forced landing and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 2023 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- El Dorado, Arkansas · El Dorado Downtown Airport-Ste · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36, built 1990 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N67CD · registry record · serial E-2554
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilots, the airplane operated normally during the first two hours of the cross-country instructional flight. The flight instructor reported he then noticed the fuel flow seemed a little high. When the flight instructor reduced the mixture setting, the engine began to run rough. The instructor increased the mixture, which smoothed the engine roughness. The engine ran rough again, and the instructor once again increased the mixture setting, which smoothed the engine roughness. The engine then ran rough two additional times; both times the instructor increased the mixture setting, causing the roughness to cease. The engine roughness occurred again but was worse than he previously experienced. The instructor increased the mixture control to its full forward position and decided to divert to an alternate airport. The engine lost power while en route to the alternate airport, and the flight instructor performed a hard gear-up forced landing in a field, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an adequate amount of fuel was present and a postaccident engine test run revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal engine 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Fuel related during enroute
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,247 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,950 as pilot in command; 2,363 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 6, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 292 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 214 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 29, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 27, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B45B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JKA Gulf Shores AL at 7:09 pm
- Destination: HSD Oklahoma City OK
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ELD, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KELD 232153Z AUTO 10SM CLR 33/22 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP106 T03330222
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on April 23, 2025. 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 N67CD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN23LA419.