- Date
- October 22, 1989, 18:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Lansing, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N6736LBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891022042089A
- Case key
- 14585
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's poor judgement in electing to taxi across an unmarked area in dark night conditions, at an airport with known construction in progress and the airport management's failure to assure the initial repairs were sufficient to correct the holes made during construction.
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
While attempting to taxi from the runway to the hangar/ramp area after landing, the plt taxied across a grassy area to get to the marked temporary grass taxiway. As he taxied through the grassy area, the acft's left main landing gear dropped into an unmarked hole which the plt estimated to be 23' deep. The plt was able to taxi the acft out of the hole by using power; however substantial damage resulted to the acft. The arpt was in the midst of ongoing construction, and the hole was one of several caused by the relocation of the VASI light installation due to runway expansion. The airport management stated that the holes had been 'restored' after the VASI structures were removed; they were 'restored' again the day after the accident. The plt described the light conditions as 'dark night' at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6736L
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-2019
- Airframe hours
- 1,225
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BB, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ronald N. Cavanaugh
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 21, 1989 · 103 hours before
- Departed
- OKK · Kokomo, IN
- Destination
- 3HA · Lansing, IL
- Airport
- 3HA · Lansing Municipal
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 355 in this make and model · 2,200 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.