Beech A36 accident near Ogallala, Nebraska, March 12, 1991
On March 12, 1991 at about 2:49 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N6687U, was destroyed in an accident near Ogallala, Nebraska (Searle Field). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT AND THE LACK OF SUFFICIENT AIRSPEED TO MANEUVER (CIRCLE TO LAND) IN UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS WITH STRUCTURAL ICE ON THE AIRCRAFT. THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND STRUCTURAL (WING) ICE WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 1991 · about 2:49 pm local time
- Place
- Ogallala, Nebraska · Searle Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N6687U · no longer on the register · serial E1666
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT PERFORMED AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO RUNWAY 26 AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT DURING A HEAVY SNOWSTORM WITH THE WIND FROM 320 DEG AT 40 GUSTING 60 KTS. AFTER CONSIDERING HIS ALTITUDE ABOVE THE RUNWAY AND THE WINDS, THE PILOT ELECTED TO CIRCLE AND LAND ON RUNWAY 31. HE STATED THAT AS HE BEGAN HIS LEFT TURN, HE LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. HE REPORTED THAT IN SPITE OF HIS ATTEMPTS TO REGAIN CONTROL, THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS ICING UP QUICKLY DURING THE APPROACH. THERE WAS NO CLAIM OR EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. STRONG, GUSTY SURFACE WINDS HAD BEEN PREDICTED FOR THE AREA, AND THE PILOT HAD OBTAINED SEVERAL PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFINGS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,010 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 1,900 as pilot in command; 150 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 1990; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Growth Management CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: LNK Lincoln NE at 6:00 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 3,698 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 40 knots, gusting 60
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.