- Date
- March 21, 2026, 12:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Saluda, SC
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N15VMBeech V35
- Defining event
- Landing-aborted after touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 17, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 202727
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
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during an aborted landing, which resulted in a runway excursion, collision with a fence, and a hard landing .
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that after arrival to the destination airport he overflew it and entered a left downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern for landing. He configured the airplane for landing then turned onto the base and final legs of the airport traffic pattern where he lowered full flaps maintaining a crosswind correction of right wing low and left rudder input. On short final he reduced power to idle and flared either too little or too late, after which the airplane bounced. With the airplane in a slight nose-up attitude, he believed he added power too quickly but did not recall adding right rudder input. The airplane violently and abruptly turned left, after which he was partially able to recover but not before flying away from the runway and impacting a chain link fence. The airplane then landed hard in an open area on the airport resulting substantial damage to both wings and the bottom of the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded a normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15VM
- Reported as
- Beech V35 (B)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-9936
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 5,039
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-550-B (71B), 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 20, 2025 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- GRD · Greenwood, SC
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 6J4 · Saluda County Airport, runway 19, 3,189 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Angle of attack indicator, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 55
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 14, 2026
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,671 total · 26 in this make and model · 3,267 as pilot in command · 67 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KAIK, 18 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAIK 211655Z AUTO 27006KT 10SM CLR 25/11 A3000 RMK AO2 T02510111
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 17, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.1 MB in all.