Beech A36 accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, September 8, 2002
On September 8, 2002 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N8261J, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an encounter with adverse weather conditions and the loss of control due to a stall. Contributing factors were thunderstorm related turbulence, icing conditions, the pilot's disregard of the weather forecast.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2002 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Canyon, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N8261J · no longer on the register · serial E-2807
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed from controlled flight after encountering forecast conditions including moderate turbulence and icing during a cross-country instrument flight and collided with the ground in a near vertical spinning descent. The airplane was equipped with a Stormscope, but not weather radar. The pilot received a preflight weather briefing that included advisories for icing conditions, scattered thunderstorms, and moderate to severe turbulence. The briefer advised that radar indicated a large area of echoes extended over the route of flight with light to moderate intensities and that cloud tops were up to 24,000 feet with scattered thunderstorms and a high likelihood of icing conditions between 15,000 and 24,000 feet. The pilot filed his IFR flight plan with a cruising altitude of 17,000 feet. After takeoff and achieving 17,000 feet, the pilot asked the center controller for a clearance to a higher altitude of 19,000 feet, which was approved. Within the next 3 minutes the pilot made a request to deviate to the left and then to climb higher to 21,000 feet, which were all approved. Shortly thereafter, the pilot advised he "really went through some bad turbulence here," and the controller inquired about his heading and altitude. The pilot advised he wanted to climb back to altitude but he was still in IMC conditions. That was the last communication from the flight. According to the controller's memory of the radar display, the airplane was getting into some weather and had deviated north, made a u-turn and had gone down to 19,000 feet, and had started getting back on course when it disappeared. The requests from the pilot to climb to higher altitude was likely made to climb out of icing conditions and an attempt to climb over some of the towering cumulus clouds tops. A limited overlay of weather echoes that would have been available to the controller. The controller provided no weather deviations or support even after the flight encountered some weather, lost altitude, and reported encountering significant turbulence. The weather data showed a shear level was at 19,800 feet, with a 11.1 knot per 1,000 feet change in wind speed. This shear layer had a high probability of severe turbulence. The data also showed a 92 percent probability of rime icing at 20,000 feet.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,097 hours in all; 557 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 2, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,170 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 2001; 134 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,833 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250B17F2 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IFP Bullhead City AZ at 5:47 pm
- Destination: LBL Liberal KS
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from GCN, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.