Beech A36 accident near Milton, Florida, November 21, 2001
On November 21, 2001 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N1836L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Milton, Florida (Choctaw Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to properly manage the available fuel in all fuel tanks, which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, a forced landing, and damage to the aircraft when the proper touch down point was not attained.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2001 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Milton, Florida · Choctaw Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N1836L · registry record · serial E-1111
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he had been airborne for about 3 hours and 15 minutes, and after having descended from 7,000 feet, just before reaching his assigned altitude of 5,000 feet, as he manipulated the throttle control to increase engine power, "the throttle had no effect, and the engine appeared to be generating no power." The pilot said that he performed the emergency procedures, declared an emergency, and made a gear up landing, about 100 feet short of the runway. According to the pilot, an examination of the aircraft determined that the right main fuel tank had less than 2 gallons of fuel remaining. He said that he had been operating the aircraft on the right main tank when the engine had ceased operating. He also said that the left main fuel tank had over 20 gallons of fuel remaining. A licensed FAA aircraft mechanic examined the aircraft and found that it had incurred substantial damege. The mechanic also stated that he found a maximum of about a half of a gallon of fuel remaining in the right main tank, along with debris, and about 18 gallons of fuel remaining in the left tank. According to the mechanic, a detailed examination did not reveal any malfunctions to the aircraft's induction, fuel or ignition systems.
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: 550 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 400 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 16, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 15, 2001; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Cont IO-550B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GTU Georgetown TX at 7:45 pm
- Destination: DTS Destin FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 8,000 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from PNS, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA02LA030.