# Accident 19970511009759A: Beech A36, Truckee, CA, May 11, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 11, 1997, 21:08 local time
- Place: Truckee, CA
- Airport: Truckee-Tahoe Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.3291° N, 120.2397° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.3291&lon=-120.2397&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6174N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6174N-1997-08-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech A36 (registry code 1151604, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-a36) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH A36
- Reported engine: CONT IO520BB
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 5
- Pilot flight hours: 4,000 total, 1,000 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97FA177](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97FA177) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970511009759A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON TAKEOFF AIRCRAFT MADE 180% TURN THEN NOSED DOWN INTO GROUND AND BURNED. (.4)FOUR WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT TAXI TO THE TAKEOFF END OF RUNWAY 28 AND DELAY FOR WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS SUFFICIENT TIME TO ACCOMPLISH AN ENGINE AND FLIGHT CONTROL CHECKOUT. DURING TAKEOFF, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO LIFTOFF AT THE MIDFIELD POINT ON THE 7,000 FOOT RUNWAY AND BEGIN A SHALLOW CLIMB. NEAR THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY, AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 100 TO 150 FEET AGL, WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT ENTER A TURN TO THE LEFT AND BEGIN TO RAPIDLY LOSE ALTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO LOSE ALTITUDE THROUGHOUT THE TURN UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE GROUND. POSTCRASH INVESTIGATION DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY PREEXISTING FLIGHT CONTROL, FUEL, OR ENGINE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS, NOR DID TOXICOLOGY RESULTS OF THE PILOT INDICATE IMPAIRMENT. THE FLIGHT DEPARTURE WAS TO THE WEST (AT DUSK) TOWARD A GOOD VISUAL HORIZON LEFT BY THE SETTING SUN. HOWEVER, AS THE AIRCRAFT TURNED LEFT, THE FORWARD VISUAL HORIZON BECAME LESS DISCERNIBLE DUE TO DARKNESS AND LACK OF GROUND REFERENCES, SUCH AS LIGHTS, WHICH WERE MINIMAL. AT THE TIME OF TAKEOFF, THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,800 FEET MSL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX97FA177](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97FA177), May 12, 1997: Beech A36TC (N6174N), Truckee, CA, destroyed, 5 fatal. Probable cause: failure of the pilot to maintain altitude and clearance above the terrain, while turning (for an unknown reason) back toward the airport after takeoff. Factors relating to the accident were: the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.