N8152R

On November 18, 2024, at 1221 eastern standard time, a Beechcraft A36, N8152R, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91 personal flight.

According to the pilot-rated passenger, he was interested in purchasing a share of the airplane and the purpose of the flight was to demonstrate the airplane’s flight characteristics. During the flight, the airplane performed normally with no anomalies noted by the pilot or the pilot-rated passenger. After performing some maneuvers in the local area, they elected to return to the Doylestown Airport (DYL), Doylestown, PA.

The pilot reported that they entered the airport traffic pattern at an altitude of 1,400 ft mean sea level, the pilot then extended the landing gear and extended one “notch” of flaps. After turning from the base to the final leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot ensured that the landing gear was down, the flaps were set to full, and the mixture and propeller controls were full forward. During the landing flare, the pilot reported the airplane “ballooned” to about 20 ft in the air. The pilot decided to perform a go-around and he pushed the throttle control in for full power and began to retract the flaps and the landing gear. Shortly after beginning the go-around, the pilot felt the airplane “drop out from under me.” The airplane descended and impacted the ground to the left of the runway and continued to slide onto the ramp where it impacted a parked and unoccupied airplane. The accident airplane’s fuselage and left wing were substantially damaged.

An airport surveillance camera recorded video of the accident sequence. As the airplane came into view, the airplane was in a shallow climb and the landing gear was retracted. The airplane then began to descend, and the wings rocked to the left and right while the airplane started to deviate to the left of the runway. As the airplane neared the ground, its nose pitched up before the airplane impacted a grass area between the runway and the taxiway.

The wreckage was retained for further examination.