Raytheon Aircraft Company A36 accident near Augusta, Georgia, May 2, 2024
On May 2, 2024 at about 11:13 am local time, a 1999 Raytheon Aircraft Company A36, registered N629BE, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Augusta, Georgia (Daniel Field Airport). It was a personal 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 excessive turn rate and bank angle while at low airspeed and altitude, resulting in an accelerated aerodynamic stall, loss of airplane control, and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 2024 · about 11:13 am local time
- Place
- Augusta, Georgia · Daniel Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company A36 NO SERIES, built 1999
- Registration
- N629BE · registry record · serial E-3287
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff on a cross-country flight in day visual meteorological conditions, the pilot initiated a sharp turn to the left with the landing gear extended and the flaps retracted. The turn appeared roughly consistent with an attempt to return to the airport; however, no distress calls were noted and the airport did not record the common traffic advisory frequency. The airplane reached a maximum altitude of 300 feet above the ground and a maximum calibrated airspeed of 90 kts. The airplane turned at more than twice the standard rate, reaching a calculated bank angle of 44° left wing low before it appeared to enter an accelerated aerodynamic stall. Sound spectrum analysis of surveillance video revealed the propeller was running at near maximum rpm at impact. The airplane impacted the ground in a residential neighborhood, was destroyed in a postaccident fire. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of a preexisting malfunction or failure. The reason for the pilot’s apparent return to the airport after departure 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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 810 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,039 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 2023; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-550-B (piston); 2,039 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: HVN New Haven CT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 4,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from KDNL, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KDNL 021053Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 18/16 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP155 T01780156
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
19 documents, released by the NTSB on August 28, 2025. 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 | Witnesses | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Fuel Record | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Excerpts - Maintenance Logbooks | PDF, 7 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | ADS-B Track Data | data file · our copy | Download |
| 5 | ADS-B Track Kmz File | map file · our copy | Download |
| 6 | Video 2818 Walton Way | MOV file · our copy | Download |
| 7 | Surveillance Video 1 (Residential) | MOV file · our copy | Download |
| 8 | Surveillance Video 2 (Residential) | MOV file · our copy | Download |
| 9 | Surveillance Video 3 (Residential) | video · our copy | View Download |
| 10 | Surveillance Video (Takeoff) | ASF file · our copy | Download |
| 11 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 12 | NTSB Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 8 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 13 | NTSB Magnetos Examination | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 14 | NTSB Memorandum of Record - Hartzell Propellers | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 15 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 16 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 11 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 17 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 18 | Evidence Control Form | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 19 | Aircraft Performance Study | PDF, 13 pages · our copy | View Download |
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.