Questair INC VENTURE accident near Memphis, Tennessee, September 4, 2011
On September 4, 2011 at about 4:47 pm local time, a Questair INC VENTURE, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N36V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inability to maintain directional control during landing with a flat tire. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the left main landing gear tire for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2011 · about 4:47 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · Memphis International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Questair INC VENTURE, amateur-built
- Registration
- N36V · no longer on the register · serial 16
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the airplane accelerated as expected during the takeoff roll, and, at rotation, he heard a loud "pop" and felt a "thump." He said that he and the copilot agreed that the airplane probably had experienced a main landing gear tire blowout. The pilot flew by the air traffic control tower, but the controllers were unable to assess the damage, so the pilot requested a return to a different runway for landing. The airplane touched down in the center of the 150-foot-wide runway, but the pilot was unable to maintain directional control with full application of right rudder and right brake. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck a concrete drainage culvert, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. A postaccident examination of the left main landing gear tire revealed evidence of a puncture and tearing around its circumference but no foreign objects associated with foreign object damage (FOD). No postaccident FOD check of the runway was conducted by the airport authority. The examination also revealed that the inboard half of each main landing gear tire displayed significant wear, no remaining tread, but no chord visible. The cause of the flat tire could not be determined.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Tire casing › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
Co-pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 629 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 556 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 11, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 380 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 15, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Questair Ventures LLC
The flight
- Departed from: MEM Memphis TN at 4:45 pm
- Destination: MEM Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36C, 11,120 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft; a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from MEM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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 N36V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.