Beech A36 accident near Wirt County, West Virginia, August 8, 2025
On August 8, 2025 at about 9:57 pm local time, a 1979 Beech A36, registered N60357, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Wirt County, West Virginia. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2025 · about 9:57 pm local time
- Place
- Wirt County, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36, built 1979 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N60357 · registry record · serial E-1478
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 8, 2025, about 1757 eastern daylight time, a Beech A36, N60357, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Wirt County, West Virginia. The commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 corporate flight. The pilot reported that he departed Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field (LIT), Little Rock, Arkansas at 1233 central daylight time with a destination of North Central West Virginia Airport (CKB), Clarksburg, West Virginia, which was a straight-line distance of 637.5 nautical miles (nm). About 23 minutes from the destination airport, he began a descent from 7,000 ft mean sea level (msl) to 5,000 ft msl. Around 6,000 ft msl the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine and was unsuccessful, the air traffic controller gave the pilot a vector to the closest airport, but it was too far for the airplane to glide to. The pilot selected a field and performed a forced landing. The airplane came to rest in a tree line at the end of the field and sustained substantial damage to the right wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that the fuel tanks did not contain any fuel. The pilot reported that prior to the flight the airplane was full of fuel. The manufacturer of the airplane reported that the accident airplane had been manufactured with the extended range fuel tank option and had a total usable fuel capacity of 74 gallons. Preliminary fuel burn calculations based on the ADS-B data and the Pilots Operating Handbook showed that at the time of the accident the airplane would have burned about 61 gallons of fuel. The onboard avionics were removed and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board vehicle recorders laboratory for data extraction. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
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 engine power (total) during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,236.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 8, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Central Flying Service LLC
The flight
- Departed from: LIT Little Rock AR at 5:33 pm
- Destination: CKB Clarksburg WV
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from PKB, 17 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KPKB 082153Z 09007KT 10SM SCT049 29/14 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP197 T02940144 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
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.