Beechcraft F33C N133DA

Summary

On 21 August 2001 at about 00:38 local time, a Beechcraft F33C registered N133DA was involved in an accident near Sugarland, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 August 2001 at 00:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Sugarland, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Sugarland Municipal/Hull Field (SGR)

Coordinates

29.6222, -95.6564

Aircraft

Beechcraft F33C

Registration

N133DA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sugarland → Sugarland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW01LA187

2 people were seriously injured.

the pilot's inadvertent stall of the airplane during the base/final approach for landing which resulted in a collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's diverted attention to an open cockpit door.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the takeoff/initial climb in the single-engine airplane, the door popped open. The pilot requested and was cleared for landing. The airplane entered a left downwind approximately 600 feet agl. The tower controller observed that during the turn from base to final approach, the airplane overshot the runway centerline, and subsequently, the airplane "appeared to lose forward speed" during a left turn back toward the runway. The airplane impacted the ground in the runway safety area to the west of the runway. The door, door mechanism, and airframe structure were examined and no anomalies were found that would have contributed to an in-flight opening of the door.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.