Beech B36TC accident near Peoria, Illinois, December 14, 2006
On December 14, 2006 at about 2:04 pm local time, a Beech B36TC, registered N30799, was destroyed in an accident near Peoria, Illinois. 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 loss of engine power due to a fatigue fracture of the exhaust valve as a result of maintenance not performed by the aircraft owner, and the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 2006 · about 2:04 pm local time
- Place
- Peoria, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B36TC · all B36TCs on the register
- Registration
- N30799 · no longer on the register · serial EA 469
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced a loss of engine power and an in-flight fire during cruise flight, and was subsequently destroyed by fire after a forced landing in a field. The pilot reported that the airplane was in cruise flight when the engine started "missing." The pilot put the mixture to full rich, switched fuel tanks, and adjusted the propeller and throttle, but the engine continued to run rough. The pilot executed a forced landing in a field with the windshield 60 percent covered with oil and with smoke coming into the cockpit. The engine teardown inspection revealed that the #5 intake and exhaust valve heads were missing. The intake and exhaust valve stems and the exhaust valve guide were removed from the cylinder for further examination at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Materials Laboratory. The fracture surface of the exhaust valve stem (Part Number: SA643767P005 C FAA-PMA) was consistent with a brittle fracture mechanism such as fatigue. The maximum clearance of the exhaust valve guide (difference between the inner diameter of the valve guide and out diameter of the valve stem) was measured as 0.019 inch. According to the 1989 Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) overhaul manual for the IO-520 engine, the maximum serviceable limit for exhaust valve guide clearance is 0.006 inch. Maintenance records indicated that an oil analysis taken on June 23, 2004, stated the following: "Note Extreme Nickel Concentration. High Concentration of Nickel is Caused By Valve Guide Wear. Contact Engine Manufacturer's Service Rep. Resample in 25 Hours." The aircraft owner reported that no maintenance was performed on the engine in regards to the oil analysis. The oil sample was taken at 663 hours since Time Since Overhaul (TSO). The engine failure occurred about 2.5 years later and had accumulated about an additional 300 hours of 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,350 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-UB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DBQ Dubuque IA
- Destination: ENL Centralia IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from PIA, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.