Beech 36 accident near Douglas, Georgia, October 14, 2019
On October 14, 2019 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 2001 Beech 36, registered N8047R, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Douglas, Georgia (Douglas 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 extend the landing gear due to intoxication during an unauthorized flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2019 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Douglas, Georgia · Douglas Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 36 A36, built 2001 · all 36s on the register
- Registration
- N8047R · registry record · serial E-2709
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he failed to extend the landing gear and that the airplane landed with the landing gear retracted. The airplane skidded off the runway to the right and came to rest in the grass adjacent to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane's owner reported that the pilot had not been authorized to fly the airplane the day of the accident. Local law enforcement officers conducted a field sobriety test and concluded that the pilot was impaired to the point that he was unsafe to operate an airplane. Subsequently, he was arrested for operating an aircraft while under the influence.
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
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Stolen/unauthorized › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,300 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 8,500 as pilot in command; 3,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,840 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 13, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,849 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison/Rolls Royce 250-B17C (turboprop); 2,352 hours total
- Operator: Brooks Auto Parts Inc
The flight
- Departed from: DQH Douglas GA
- Destination: DQH Douglas GA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 04, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:37 pm from KDQH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 17, 2019. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.