# NTSB WPR26FA130: Beech A36, N2882W, Olympic Valley, CA, March 23, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report
- Date: March 22, 2026, 17:16 local (Mar 23, 2026, 00:16 UTC)
- Place: Olympic Valley, CA · mountainous terrain
- Coordinates: 39.176506, -120.24677 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.1765&lon=-120.2468&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 1 fatal
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Parties: Textron Aviation, Continental Aerospace Technologies, Federal Aviation Administration
- NTSB case key (mKey): 202675
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26FA130
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202675/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26FA130

## Preliminary report

On March 22, 2026, at 1716 Pacific daylight time, a Beech A36, N2882W, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Olympic Valley, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight. According to the ADS-B data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane departed Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), Monterey, California, at 1411 and was destined for the Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK), Truckee, California. Recorded communication indicated that when the airplane was about 12 miles southwest of the accident site, the pilot contacted the TRK air traffic control tower local controller (LC) that he was inbound for landing. The pilot subsequently reported a turbocharger problem, and he didn’t think he would make it to the airport. Recorded ADS-B data ended at an altitude of about 7,382 ft, about 13 miles southwest of TRK and no further radio transmissions were heard from the pilot. An Apple iPhone crash detection alert was received by local law enforcement in the accident area. The accident site was subsequently located by a California Highway Patrol helicopter crew, in the Granite Chief Wilderness area along the shoreline of a lake about 1-1/2 miles northeast of the last recorded ADS-B data point. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude partially submerged near the shore in a subalpine lake in an area known as the Five Lakes at an altitude of 7,500 ft mean sea level (msl) on a magnetic heading of 225°. The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was the top of a pine tree about 150 ft southwest of the main wreckage. About 75 ft from the FIPC was the right wing, which had struck a tree near the base and separated from the airplane. There was a postcrash fire centralized at the right wing and tree. The engine, including the propeller assembly, separated from the airplane and was mostly submerged in the lake. All major structural components of the airplane were located at the accident site. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [Beech A36, 11 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=1151604), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N2882W](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2882W), registered now, S/N E-452, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH A36
- Registry model: [Beech A36](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-a36) (registry code 1151604) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: E-452
- Year built: 1973
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Departed: MRY, Monterey, CA
- Destination: Same as departure
- Equipment: ADS-B

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 68 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observed at: KTRK, 10 nm away
- METAR: METAR KTRK 222358Z 19010KT 10SM SCT200 20/M01 A3013

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20260322002109A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260322002109A), Mar 22, 2026: Beech A36, Truckee, CA, Substantial damage, 1 fatal. The aircraft departed mry en route to trk on March 22, 2025, and subsequently crashed at approximately 1730 hours, 13.5 miles northwest of trk. The pilot was…

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.

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