Beech A36 accident near Pineville, Louisiana, October 27, 2024
On October 27, 2024 at about 10:55 pm local time, a 1987 Beech A36, registered N3046K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Pineville, Louisiana (Pineville Muni 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 airplane’s collision with a stake on a closed runway. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and failure to see the closed runway markings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 2024 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Pineville, Louisiana · Pineville Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36, built 1987 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N3046K · registry record · serial E-2362
- 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 after landing on the runway, he felt a bump on the bottom of the airplane. The pilot saw metal stakes and rope and then remembered that the runway was closed. The pilot taxied to parking without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. At the time of the accident, there was a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) in effect for the closure of the runway. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. After the accident, the pilot inspected the runway and found that there was a painted yellow “X” at each end of the runway. The pilot also reported that he had been notified by an airport employee about the upcoming runway closure about a month before the accident. The pilot further stated that the sun in his eyes, and various alerts while approaching the airport were distractions.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,752 hours in all; 477 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 17, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,981.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HEZ Natchez MS at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18/3, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KAEX, 6 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAEX 272253Z 08004KT 10SM SCT065 28/16 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP200 T02780156,M
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Underside of Fuselage
Photograph 2 – Underside of Fuselage
Photograph 3 – Underside of FuselageThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 21, 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | NOTAM | PDF, 1 page | 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.