Beech A36 accident near Lakeview, Arkansas, June 1, 1991
On June 1, 1991 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N324CB, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeview, Arkansas (Gaston'S airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER VISUAL APPROACH, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT FOR OBSTRUCTIONS. FACTORS WERE THE UNMARKED POWER LINES
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 1991 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeview, Arkansas · Gaston'S · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N324CB · no longer on the register · serial E-1104
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE MADE ONE PASS OVER THE PRIVATE STRIP WHERE IT WAS TO LAND AND THEN ENTERED WHAT WITNESSES DESCRIBED AS A MODIFIED LEFT TRAFFIC PATTERN. ON EXTENDED BASE, ABOUT 1.5 MILES FROM THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK HIGH TENSION LINES AT ABOUT 100 FEET AGL. AT THE TIME OF THE WIRE STRIKE, THE PILOT WAS FLYING DOWN A RIVER. THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED THE GROUND VERTICALLY AND AN INTENSE POST-CRASH FIRE ERUPTED SHORTLY AFTER IMPACT. THERE WERE FOUR AIRPORTS WITHIN A FIVE MILE RADIUS OF THE POWER LINE, AND THE LINES WERE NOT MARKED. THE PILOT WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE LOCAL AREA AND THE LANDING STRIP.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,076 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 21, 1991; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Sound-Craft Systems, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HOT Hot Springs AR at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket 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.