- Date
- July 30, 2026, 17:56 local (21:56 UTC)
- Place
- Weston, CT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9144QBeech A36
- Defining event
- Enroute: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 1, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260730012159A
- Case key
- 203531
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 in-flight opening of the engine cowling, which resulted in engine baffling separating from the airplane and impacting the right elevator.
Findings · 1
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 he had performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and did not note any deficiency with the engine cowling’s security. About 7 minutes into the flight, the front right engine cowling opened and started flapping. The pilot declared an emergency with air traffic control and diverted to a nearby airport where he landed uneventfully. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that engine baffling had separated from the engine compartment and impacted the right elevator resulting in substantial damage. Maintenance personnel examined the airplane after the accident and found that the cowling’s latch mechanism functioned normally with no mechanical irregularities.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9144Q
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-250
- Built
- 1970
- Airframe hours
- 5,561.1
- Engine
- Continental Aerospace Technologies IO-550B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- N9144q LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 10, 2025 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- HPN · White Plains, NY
- Destination
- UUU · Middletown, RI
- Airport
- DXR
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather
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
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 10, 2026
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 600.7 total · 127.2 in this make and model · 412.1 as pilot in command · 19.1 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.85 inHg
- Observed at
- DXR, 8 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KDXR 302153Z 31003KT 5SM BR FEW020 SCT033 BKN075 23/21 A2985 RMK AO2 RAB24E44 SLP103 P0007 T02280206
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 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.