Beech A36 accident near Yucca Valley, California, November 6, 2011
On November 6, 2011 at about 5:55 pm local time, a Beech A36, registered N64Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Yucca Valley, California (Yucca Valley Airport). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2011 · about 5:55 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Yucca Valley, California · Yucca Valley Airport · cases near this airport · 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
- N64Z · registry record · serial E-918
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a training flight, the flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction were practicing procedures for a simulated engine failure. According to the pilot receiving instruction, when he attempted to reapply power the engine was unresponsive. They were forced to make an off-airport landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. During the postaccident examination, the engine was test run; no mechanical anomalies were revealed that precluded normal operation. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.
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
- Simulated/training event during landing
- Loss of engine power (total) during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,735 hours in all; 1,114 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 2,455 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,847 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 8, 2011; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,780 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 550 B4 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L22 Yucca Valley CA
- Destination: L22 Yucca Valley CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from NXP, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on November 20, 2012. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Cmi-engine Field Test Run Report- 14 Embedded Photographs | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N64Z on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft A36 Bonanza 2,530 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 550 B4 3,077 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Yucca Valley Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR12LA027.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.