What happened
On January 1, 2025, at 0120 eastern standard time, a Beech A36, registration N8163F, was involved in an accident at Naples Municipal Airport (APF) in Naples, Florida. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal use. The pilot had filed an instrument flight rules flight plan for a trip from APF to Bartow Executive Airport (BOW). Because the air traffic control tower was closed at the time of departure, the pilot obtained taxi and departure clearance, along with a void time, via telephone from the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.
During the takeoff roll, the aircraft accelerated normally and established a positive rate of climb. After the pilot retracted the landing gear, the engine stopped producing power at an altitude estimated between 100 and 200 feet. The pilot reported the left wing began to stall, prompting him to push the control wheel forward to stabilize the aircraft. During the subsequent shallow descent, the aircraft's left wing struck the corner of a building. The aircraft then rotated approximately 180 degrees nose-down, the left wing scraped a second building, and the plane came to rest upright.
At the time of the accident, weather conditions at the airport included fog with a visibility of 0.25 miles and a vertical visibility of 100 feet.
The investigation
Examination of the accident site showed the aircraft struck a hangar and the airport perimeter fence north-northwest of the runway 05 departure end before impacting a road and sliding onto grass. Propeller strike marks were found on the road and in the grass. The aircraft finally impacted the exterior of a maintenance and repair organization building, coming to rest with the left wing against a palm tree.
Mechanical examination of the N8163F revealed significant structural damage:
- The engine and propeller separated from the engine mounts and rested 5 feet from the nose.
- The left horizontal stabilizer was nearly completely separated from its mount, with only a portion of the left elevator remaining attached.
- The left wing showed upper surface wrinkling from the root to midspan, with the outboard section bent approximately 90 degrees upward.
- The right wing exhibited upper surface wrinkling and was bent approximately 15 degrees upward near the wingtip.
- The three-bladed constant-speed propeller showed various forms of damage, including leading edge gouging, tip breakage, and S-bending.
At the time of the crash, the landing gear selector was in the "UP" position, the throttle was at "FULL" power, the propeller control was in "HI RPM," and the fuel selector was set to the "RIGHT MAIN" tank.