What happened
On November 18, 2024, a Beechcraft A3cap36 bearing registration N8152R was involved in an accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The flight was being conducted under Part 91 regulations for the purpose of demonstrating the aircraft's performance to a potential shareholder.
After performing maneuvers in the local area, the pilot attempted to land at Doylestown Airport (DYL). The pilot entered the traffic pattern at 1,400 feet mean sea level, extending the landing gear and a single notch of flaps. Upon turning from the base leg to the final leg, the pilot set the flaps to full and configured the mixture and propeller controls to full forward.
During the landing flare, the aircraft ballooned to approximately 20 feet above the ground. The pilot initiated a go-around by applying full power and beginning to retract the landing gear and flaps. During this maneuver, the pilot reported the aircraft suddenly lost lift. The airplane descended and struck the ground to the left of the runway, sliding onto the ramp where it collided with a parked, unoccupied aircraft. The impact resulted in 3 serious injuries and 0 fatalities.
Airport surveillance footage showed the aircraft in a shallow climb with the landing gear retracted. The video captured the aircraft descending, rocking its wings from side to side, and deviating left of the runway before the nose pitched up and the aircraft impacted a grass area between the runway and the taxiway.
The investigation
The wreckage of the aircraft was retained for examination.