Beechcraft F33A accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, July 26, 2012
On July 26, 2012 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Beechcraft F33A, registered N334DH, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power reason that could not be determined because postaccident examination and test run did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2012 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft F33A · all F33As on the register
- Registration
- N334DH · no longer on the register · serial CE-625
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was the group leader of 12 airplanes flying on an aerial tour of Alaska. On the day before the accident, the airplane had been fueled by a commercial vendor, and a preflight inspection was completed for the flight the following day. The pilot stated that his preflight inspection and the airplane start, taxi, and before-takeoff checks revealed no anomalies. However, just after takeoff, as the airplane climbed through about 400 feet above ground level, the engine lost all power. The pilot made about a 90-degree right turn to avoid obstacles located off the end of the runway and landed in an adjacent field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A postaccident examination, including an engine run in a test cell, revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane’s engine or systems.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,812 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 7,710 as pilot in command; 723 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: type not recorded, January 1, 2012
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAFA Fairbanks AK at 1:15 pm
- Destination: PAHO Homer AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 1:25 pm from PAFA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.