Beech A36TC accident near Flagstaff, Arizona, January 18, 2015
On January 18, 2015 at about 7:35 pm local time, a 1980 Beech A36TC, registered N3685W, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Flagstaff, Arizona (Flagstaff Pulliam airport). 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 improper landing flare and loss of airplane control, which resulted in a hard landing and the subsequent failure of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2015 · about 7:35 pm local time
- Place
- Flagstaff, Arizona · Flagstaff Pulliam · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36TC, built 1980 · all A36TCs on the register
- Registration
- N3685W · registry record · serial EA-113
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that, during landing, the airplane bounced and that he subsequently applied back pressure to the elevator in an effort to deplete the excess energy. The airplane touched down a second time, and the pilot held the airplane in a nose-high attitude. The airspeed decreased, and the airplane eventually came to rest on its nose. Two air traffic controllers witnessed the accident from the airport traffic control tower. They both reported that the airplane bounced a number of times during the landing sequence. One of the controllers reported that the initial landing was hard and on the nosewheel first, which caused the airplane to porpoise down the runway before the nose landing gear (NLG) collapsed. Examination of the of the upper NLG torque knee revealed that it exhibited grinding damage and that its mounting lug, which had broken free, was elongated and that its fracture surfaces exhibited features consistent with overload. Additionally, the nosewheel fork assembly had bent aft, and the forward landing gear brace had broken into three pieces. All of the observed damage was consistent with overload failures. Further, due to the design of the landing gear system, the type of damage observed on the NLG could only have resulted from excessive forward loads being placed on it. Although the pilot reported that he thought the NLG failed due to a preexisting mechanical failure of the upper torque link, the evidence clearly indicates that it was connected to the lower torque knee before the landing and that it failed in overload during the initial hard landing and subsequent separation from the airplane.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,770 hours in all; 1,604 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 2,441 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 10, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,034 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 16, 2014; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,651 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO 520 (piston); 964 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POC La Verne CA at 5:34 pm
- Destination: FLG Flagstaff AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 8,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 7:57 pm from KFLG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR15LA099.