Event Overview
On January 7, 2026, at approximately 0809 mountain standard time, a Beech K35, registration N6010E, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Prescott, Arizona. The aircraft was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. The pilot receiving instruction and the flight instructor on board were not injured.
Sequence of Events
The pilot receiving instruction reported that upon arriving at Prescott Regional/Ernest A Love Field Airport (PRC), they conducted an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 21L. After completing a touch-and-go landing and takeoff, they noted a positive rate of climb and retracted the landing gear. At about 50 feet above ground level, a loud "bang" was heard, and the propeller stopped completely. The flight instructor then pushed the control yoke forward to maintain airspeed. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot initiated a gear-up forced landing onto the remaining runway. During the landing flare, the airplane landed hard, resulting in substantial damage.
Damage and Recovery
The hard landing caused substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The airplane was recovered for further examination. No additional details regarding the cause of the propeller failure or the extent of damage were provided.