Raytheon Aircraft Company A36 accident near Gallatin, Tennessee, June 8, 2007
On June 8, 2007 at about 2:02 pm local time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company A36, registered N729P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gallatin, Tennessee (Sumner County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s mismanagement of fuel which led to fuel starvation and loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to utilize the proper engine restart procedures, and the hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2007 · about 2:02 pm local time
- Place
- Gallatin, Tennessee · Sumner County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company A36
- Registration
- N729P · no longer on the register · serial E-3469
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed an airport in visual meteorological conditions, and approaching the destination airport, the pilot opted to return to the departure airport due to weather. As the airplane was descending toward the departure airport, the engine lost power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field, where he landed hard. The pilot indicated that he had flown the return leg utilizing fuel from the right tank, switched to the left tank before the descent, and the engine failed during the descent. Postflight examinations of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Approximately 1 gallon of fuel was drained from the right wing tank, and 11 gallons of fuel were drained from the left wing tank, with no indication of fuel leakage from either tank. According to the airplane’s operating handbook, there were 3 gallons of unusable fuel in each tank. The fuel selector was found on the left tank at the accident site, and when removed for examination, fuel flowed from all connecting lines except the right main tank. Although the pilot had switched to the left fuel tank at some point, he did not utilize the boost pump (auxiliary fuel pump) as required in the procedures for an engine restart.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 79 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 349 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2006; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: M33 Gallatin TN at 12:10 pm
- Destination: TYS Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:09 pm from BNA, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.