# Accident 20030201002649A: Beech A36, Grand Rapids, MI, February 1, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 1, 2003, 08:30 local time
- Place: Grand Rapids, MI
- Airport: Kent County International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.8808° N, 85.5228° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.8808&lon=-85.5228&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5677X, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5677X) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech A36 (registry code 1151604, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-a36) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-550 series (registry code 17042, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-550-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH A36
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,230 total, 16 in this make and model, 80 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI03LA063](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA063) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030201002649A

## Narrative

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

(-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.

## 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 CHI03LA063](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA063), Feb 1, 2003: Beech A36 (N5677X), Grand Rapids, MI, substantial damage. Probable cause: The 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…

## Other reports on N5677X (1)

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

- [Accident 20260108003149A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260108003149A), Jan 8, 2026: Beech A36 (N5677X), Sabine Pass, TX, Destroyed, 1 fatal. At 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…

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.

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