Raytheon G36 accident near Panama City, Florida, December 18, 2013
On December 18, 2013 at about 1:20 pm local time, a 2006 Raytheon G36, registered N89SN, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Panama City, Florida (Sandy Creek Airpark airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate preflight and inflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the pilot’s injuries was his failure to use the available shoulder harness.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 2013 · about 1:20 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Panama City, Florida · Sandy Creek Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon G36, built 2006
- Registration
- N89SN · registry record · serial E-3738
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was about 60 miles from the destination airport when the pilot reported a total loss of engine power to air traffic control. The controller provided information on nearby airports, and the pilot maneuvered the airplane toward the closest airport. The pilot reported the airport in sight; radio and radar contact were subsequently lost. A search for the airplane was initiated, and the wreckage was located in a heavily wooded swamp about 1 mile east of the airport. There were no known witnesses to the accident. The fuel tank selector handle was found in the "left main" (left wing tank) position. The left wing tank was not breached, and about 1 pint of fuel was recovered from the tank. The right tank was breached, and it contained residual fuel; however, there was no evidence of fuel leakage on the ground beneath the tank. The airplane was fitted with optional wing tip tanks, which were found empty. The total amount of fuel recovered, including the residual fuel in the tanks and fuel recovered from a small pool of water directly under the airplane, was about 2.5 gallons, which was less than the manufacturer-reported unusable fuel quantity of 6 gallons. The airplane was last serviced with fuel about 28 days before to the accident; however, the total fuel onboard at that time could not be determined. The propeller blades exhibited no rotational damage or signatures. After the accident, the engine was removed from the airframe and successfully test run at the manufacturer's facilities; no evidence of pre-accident malfunction or failure was observed. Although a shoulder harness was available, the pilot was found in the left seat with only his lap belt fastened. Damage to the airplane's multi-function display was consistent with impact by the pilot's head during the accident sequence. The pilot's cause of death was blunt force head trauma, and the impact forces that he experienced would likely have been reduced if he had been wearing his shoulder harness.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › Emergency equipment › Not used/operated other cases naming the cabin, seats and restraints
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 53 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 734 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 2013; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550B (piston); 734 hours total
- Operator: Grey Aviation Advisors & Solutions INC
The flight
- Departed from: F45 West Palm Beach FL at 10:54 am
- Destination: DTS Destin FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 3,850 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 12:58 pm from PAM, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
27 documents, released by the NTSB on December 17, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N89SN on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Continental IO-550B 374 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sandy Creek Airpark · nearest airport
- North Palm Beach County General Aviation · departed from
- Destin Executive · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,708 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA14FA074.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.