Beech A36 accident near Afton, Wyoming, May 26, 2003
On May 26, 2003 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N2106L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Afton, Wyoming (Aftonmunicipal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to achieve an adequate climb rate, resulting in an inflight collision with the sign. Contributing factors were the pilot's improper mixture leaning procedure, the high density altitude, his failure to abort the takeoff in a timely manner, and the highway sign near the end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2003 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Afton, Wyoming · Aftonmunicipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N2106L · registry record · serial E878
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had three passengers and 50 gallons of fuel on board when he made the first scenic flight. The density altitude was reported to be 7,200 feet msl. On the second flight, he had another three passengers and 38 gallons of fuel. Density altitude had increased to 8,500 feet msl. The mixture was leaned. The pilot said "the plane did not develop the same amount of power as on the previous takeoff" and the takeoff roll was longer. "The plane rotated approximately 200 yards before the departure end of the runway, and did not accelerate beyond 70 knots." He lowered the nose to gain airspeed. Airspeed slowly increased and the airplane "was ascending at about the same rate as the terrain. Approximately eight seconds after take off, I felt a slight surge in power and lifted the nose." He then heard a "pop" and "felt a slight shudder." He concluded he had "grazed over the top of some object with the stinger at the rear of the plane." Concerned about possible damage to the airplane, the pilot radioed the airport manager and asked that he inspect the airplane when he made a low pass over the airport. He lowered the landing gear and flew over the runway. The airport manager advised him that "everything looked fine." The pilot then proceeded with the flight. As the passengers disembarked, they noticed the rear foot step had been knocked off. Further investigation revealed a gash under the right wing, 2 feet outboard from the fuselage, that extended from just aft of the leading edge to the flap. Based on a maximum gross weight of 3,600 pounds and a density altitude of 8,500 feet, it was computed that the airplane would require 2,100 feet for the takeoff roll and would climb approximately 600 feet per minute. According to the engine manufacturer, a full power setting is to be used for pre-takeoff leaning on all normally-aspirated reciprocating engines. This information is contained in the various engine handbooks. If the engine were to be leaned at a lower power setting, the mixture would become richer as power was increased beyond the setting used for leaning, and would result in lower rpm and reduced horsepower.
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
- Flight time: 396 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 240 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 14, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,715 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 2003; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB56B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KAFO Afton WY at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,220 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from JAC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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 DEN03LA089.