Beech A36 accident near Cleveland, Ohio, April 6, 2024
On April 6, 2024 at about 10:02 pm local time, a 1981 Beech A36, registered N1861M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland-Hopkins Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, resulting in a hard, bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 2024 · about 10:02 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Ohio · Cleveland-Hopkins Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36, built 1981 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N1861M · registry record · serial E-1936
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a practice instrument landing system approach in visual meteorological conditions. During the landing approach, the pilot was provided a caution for wake turbulence due to a departing regional jet. During the landing flare, about 5 feet above the runway, the airplane descended suddenly and impacted the ground hard on the main landing gear before it “rocked to [the] nosewheel harshly.” The pilot attempted to abort the landing the airplane did not respond as he expected, and after several more bounces down the runway the airplane came to rest with its nose resting on the ground. A small postaccident fire damaged the area around the airplane’s engine, and the airplane’s wings were substantially damaged during the accident. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Airport surveillance video and data recovered from the airplane’s electronic flight instruments showed that at the time of the accident a 10 to 13 knot left quartering headwind prevailed. Additionally, review of air traffic control data showed that an airliner had departed from a parallel runway about 1 minute before the accident airplane crossed the runway threshold. The parallel runway was to the right, and downwind of the runway the accident pilot was approaching, therefore it is unlikely that wake turbulence from the departing airplane impacted the accident airplane.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 291.1 hours in all; 254.2 in this make and model; 55.7 in the last 90 days; 6.5 in the last 30 days; 159.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 4, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,026 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 22, 2023; 9.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,780 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo IO-520-B (piston); 1,353 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ORF Norfolk VA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06L, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from CLE
Weather report (METAR): KCLE 062151Z 35005KT 10SM SCT045 11/M01 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP215 T01061011
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 2024. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Email Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Investigative Photographs, Surveillance Video Still Images, and ATC Data Plot | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Electronic Flight Instrument Data Review | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 ERA24LA165.