Beech A36 accident near Siler City, North Carolina, June 2, 2015
On June 2, 2015 at about 12:00 pm local time, a 1981 Beech A36, registered N985K, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Siler City, North Carolina (Siler City Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2015 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Siler City, North Carolina · Siler City Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36, built 1981 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N985K · no longer on the register · serial E-1947
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the accident flight was to reposition the accident airplane in order to have maintenance performed on its alternator. The accident pilot planned to fly with the airplane's landing gear extended for the duration of the flight and used a handheld radio for communications, presumably because of the intermittent or non-functional state of the alternator. Another pilot, who was flying in his own airplane, accompanied the accident flight, and they arrived in the vicinity of the destination airport about the same time. As the accident pilot maneuvered his airplane to land, the accompanying pilot watched as the accident airplane flew a downwind traffic pattern leg very close to the runway, then entered a "tight" base-to-final turn. The airplane subsequently entered what the accompanying pilot described as an accelerated aerodynamic stall and descended in a nose-down attitude toward the ground. The airplane impacted trees and terrain about 500 ft short of the runway threshold. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures, with the exception of the alternator, which failed a diagnostic test run.
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
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,430 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,501 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 17, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 3,651 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bhb Of The Sandhills LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SOP Pinehurst/Southern Pines NC at 11:20 am
- Destination: SCR Siler City NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 200 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 am from KSCR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on April 30, 2018. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Witness Interview Summary - Pilot's Friend | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Interview Summaries - Courtesy of FAA | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Site Diagram - Courtesy of FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Alternator Test Results | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Engine Data Monitor Factual Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.