Beech E35 accident near Lincoln, Alabama, June 27, 2026
On June 27, 2026 at about 4:45 pm local time, a 1954 Beech E35, registered N3272C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lincoln, Alabama (Talladega Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to ensure that the landing gear were extended prior to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2026 · about 4:45 pm local time · cases in 2026
- Place
- Lincoln, Alabama · Talladega Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E35, built 1954 · all E35s on the register
- Registration
- N3272C · registry record · serial D-3938
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Before departing, the pilot found that the airplane’s battery was “low,” so he connected it to a charger for 15 minutes, after which he was able to start the engine normally. He subsequently completed three flight legs uneventfully, and was returning to his home airport when the accident occurred. As the pilot approached the destination airport, he noted that there was a thunderstorm in the area and elected to perform a downwind landing. During the landing approach, the pilot moved the landing gear position lever to the down position and extended the flaps. Due to the position the position of an electronic flight bag device in the cockpit, he did not observe that the landing gear down position indicator had not illuminated, nor did he realize that the landing gear circuit breaker had tripped. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the underside of the airplane’s fuselage. Postaccident testing of the airplane’s landing gear revealed that it functioned normally when external electrical power was applied, and that the landing gear position indication lights operated normally. Functional testing of the airplane’s alternator and ammeter revealed that they functioned normally, but that the airplane’s battery had little to no capacity due to having dead cells. It is likely that the battery’s degraded condition resulted in the tripped landing gear system circuit breaker during the accident flight, and resulted in the landing gear’s failure to extend. Had the pilot noticed that the landing gear did not extend as expected, he could have taken additional troubleshooting steps rather than continuing the landing with the landing gear not extended.
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
- Landing gear not configured during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,194 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,144 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 5, 2025
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,084.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2026; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,725 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo E225-8 (piston); 2,483 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 02A Clanton AL at 4:15 pm
- Destination: ASN Talladega AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 6,032 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 85°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:45 am from ASN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Lower fuselage accident damage
Photograph 2 – Skin and structure buckling at lower aft fuselage.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on October 1, 2026. 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, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Battery and Alternator Test Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | FAA Inspector's Statement | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3272C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft E35 141 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo E225-8 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Talladega Municipal · nearest airport
- Chilton County · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,353 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA26LA265.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.