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20030201002649A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Beech A36 · Grand Rapids, MI · February 1, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 1, 2003 · 08:30 local
Place
Grand Rapids, MI
Airport
Kent County International
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N5677X
NTSB investigation
NTSBCHI03LA063
Reported as
Beech A36
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,230 total16 in this make and model80 in the last 90 days
N5677XRegistered now · Beech A36S/N E-2797 · Built 1993Airframe modelBeech A36Engine modelContinental IO-550 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) They departed grr IFR to ffc. At 1250:38 they were cleared for take off. At 1252:48 they were cleared to contact departure. At 1254:49 they contacted grr tower declaring an emergency, and requesting vectors back to grr. At 1258:05 they landed at grr. Just after take off they entered a 500 ft overcast. They were cleared for a left turn to on course. During the turn the CFI noticed the bank angle at 30 degrees. He corrected back to 15 degrees. He noted that the turn coordinator indicated wings level. The CFI took c ontrol of the aircraft. He assumed a total gyro failure and attempted to recover from an unusual attitude. A witness on the ground observed them come out of the overcast in about a 70 degrees nose down attitude. Both pilots pulled back on the controls and arrested the descent at less than 200 feet AGL. The airspeed was above the yellow arc and they were turning at a high rate. The aircraft was substantially damaged in the pull up. They contacted the tower and landed at grr at 1258:05. The attitude indicator bench checked within manufacturers tolerance by duncan aviation in battle creek. The turn coordinator circuit breaker was reset and a taxi check by the CFI, robert fischer, which was observed by FAA inspector privacy data omitted, failed to show any problem with the instrument.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THEY DEPARTED GRR IFR TO FFC. AT 1250:38 THEY WERE CLEARED FOR TAKE OFF. AT 1252:48 THEY WERE CLEARED TO CONTACT DEPARTURE. AT 1254:49 THEY CONTACTED GRR TOWER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY, AND REQUESTING VECTORS BACK TO GRR. AT 1258:05 THEY LANDED AT GRR. JUST AFTER TAKE OFF THEY ENTERED A 500 FT OVERCAST. THEY WERE CLEARED FOR A LEFT TURN TO ON COURSE. DURING THE TURN THE CFI NOTICED THE BANK ANGLE AT 30 DEGREES. HE CORRECTED BACK TO 15 DEGREES. HE NOTED THAT THE TURN COORDINATOR INDICATED WINGS LEVEL. THE CFI TOOK C ONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. HE ASSUMED A TOTAL GYRO FAILURE AND ATTEMPTED TO RECOVER FROM AN UNUSUAL ATTITUDE. A WITNESS ON THE GROUND OBSERVED THEM COME OUT OF THE OVERCAST IN ABOUT A 70 DEGREES NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. BOTH PILOTS PULLED BACK ON THE CONTROLS AND ARRESTED THE DESCENT AT LESS THAN 200 FEET AGL. THE AIRSPEED WAS ABOVE THE YELLOW ARC AND THEY WERE TURNING AT A HIGH RATE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED IN THE PULL UP. THEY CONTACTED THE TOWER AND LANDED AT GRR AT 1258:05. THE ATTITUDE INDICATOR BENCH CHECKED WITHIN MANUFACTURERS TOLERANCE BY DUNCAN AVIATION IN BATTLE CREEK. THE TURN COORDINATOR CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS RESET AND A TAXI CHECK BY THE CFI, ROBERT FISCHER, WHICH WAS OBSERVED BY FAA INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, FAILED TO SHOW ANY PROBLEM WITH THE INSTRUMENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI03LA063Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGrand Rapids, MIThe pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control which resulted in the overload of the aircraft. Spatial disorientation, an inoperative turn coordinator, and the pilot's misinterpretation of the flight instruments were contributing factors.Feb 1, 2003 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N5677X · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20260108003149ACruise/Level Flight · Sabine Pass, TXAt approximately 1352 hrs CST, the subject aircraft departed 3R7 on an IFR flight plan to travel west to gls with the pilot as the sole occupant. The aircraft climbed to a cruise altitude of 6,000 ft AGL and headed westerly towards its destination airport. At…Jan 8, 2026 · Destroyed · 1 fatal