Beech A-36 accident near Great Bend, Kansas, October 10, 2006
On October 10, 2006, a Beech A-36, registered N1801V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Great Bend, Kansas. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of aircraft control while changing radio frequencies and abruptly applying control forces in excess of the design limits of the airframe.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2006
- Place
- Great Bend, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A-36 · all A-36s on the register
- Registration
- N1801V · registry record · serial E-1859
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he was level in cruise flight at 7,000 feet. He said that approximately 30 miles from his destination, he entered the localizer frequency into his GPS (global positioning system). "The airplane entered an unusual attitude. When [aircraft] control [was] regained, [the] HSI (horizon situation indicator) [was] inaccurate. [I] navigated to GBD with ATC assistance." ATC reported the pilot stated he was in instrument conditions, had become disoriented, advised that he was having a lot of trouble, and "needed to control the aircraft." The pilot then requested "vector/navigational assistance." The controller decided to treat the airplane as an emergency and gave him vectors to a nearby airport where visual weather conditions prevailed. The pilot was cleared for a visual approach at the airport . The airplane landed without further incident. An examination of the airplane showed upward bending of the wing spars of both wings. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the airplane's systems did not reveal any anomalies.
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: 869 hours in all; 373 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 869 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,326 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2006; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-B5F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TQK Scott City KS at 11:45 pm
- Destination: HYS Hays KS
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N1801V 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 DEN07LA040.