- Date
- May 26, 1984, 18:49 local (23:49 UTC)
- Place
- Fayette, AL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1836DBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840526036499A
- Case key
- 6281
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft collided with the ground in a near vertical nose down attitude after being observed by witnesses to pitch down during cruise flt. This acft & plt flew earlier in the day with an instructor who had to recover control of the acft after the plt allowed it to enter an uncommanded spiral. The radio transcript of that flt contained, 'problems with the HSI we, ah, need to come back.' The plt had been scheduled to go to louisville but the flt was canceled. Later the same day the plt/owner returned to the arpt, said he had read about the HSI system and wanted to reset it and fly. Shortly into the flt the plt radioed that his autoplt was 'stuck it is taking main strength to holt it.' He said he wanted to talk to someone who knew about the bonanza to 'see what he could do.' If the autoplt disconnects an audible sound is heard. No such sound was heard on the tapes. After the accident the trim tabs were found in the full nose down position.a plt who had flown this acft the day before said the autoplt would not disconnect using the mode off switch.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1836D
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E1912
- Airframe hours
- 1,185
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BB, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Clark L. Gravlee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 26, 1984 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- BHM · Birmingham, AL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 330 total · 305 in this make and model · 139 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BHM, 47 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 17, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 15.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.