Pilot Debrief

Beechcraft Corporation A36TC near Pendleton, OR — 2012-04-22

Final reportWPR12LA178
Sign in to save
Date
2012-04-22
Location
Pendleton, OR, USA
Airport
PDT
Aircraft
Beechcraft Corporation A36TC
Registration
N3862C
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate glidepath for landing, which resulted in a collision with terrain short of the runway. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to secure the left-side fuel cap before departure. Contributing to the pilot's injuries was the broken shoulder harness.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane had been refueled before the flight and that the fuel had expanded during the day due to heat, which resulted in fuel draining from the vent. The pilot loosened the fuel caps to facilitate draining excess fuel from the tank; however, he forgot to resecure the left-side cap after he finished draining the fuel. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported to an air traffic controller that one of the airplane's fuel caps was not secure and requested permission to return to the airport for landing. However, the pilot did not maintain an adequate glidepath during the approach, and the airplane impacted terrain short of the runway. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. During the impact sequence, the pilot's shoulder harness webbing separated, resulting in a serious injury. Examination showed that the webbing met the original load requirements as specified by the manufacturer, and no photodegradation was evident.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not maintain appropriate glide path during final approach.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

Related mishaps