Beech F-33A accident near Alabaster, Alabama, September 23, 2006
On September 23, 2006 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Beech F-33A, registered N8148R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alabaster, Alabama (Shelby County Airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering toward an emergency landing area following the total loss of engine power shortly after takeoff resulting in an inadvertent stall, uncontrolled descent, and collision with the ground, and a fence. A factor in the accident was the pilot's improper fuel management resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 2006 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Alabaster, Alabama · Shelby County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F-33A · all F-33As on the register
- Registration
- N8148R · no longer on the register · serial CE-526
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses heard the airplane engine sputter and lose power on initial take off climb. The nose of the airplane was observed to level out and the engine started and lost power again. The airplane was observed to enter a steep bank to the left estimated between 45 to 100 degrees. The nose of the airplane pitched down and two witnesses observed the airplane level out before it collided with the ground. The Pilot's Operating Handbook states that the airplane would stall with flaps up at 75 knots with a 45-degree angle of bank, and at 85 knots with 60-degree angle of bank. A friend of the pilot who flew in the airplane the day before the accident stated that he thought the left main fuel gauge indicated empty and the right main fuel gauge indicated half full. There was no record indicating that the airplane had been refueled before the pilot started conducting sightseeing flights lasting 10 to 15 minutes each on the day of the accident. One passenger who flew on the first sightseeing flight stated that she could not see both fuel gauges, however one fuel gauge was in the yellow range. A passenger on the second flight stated that the left fuel gauge indicated empty and the right fuel gauge was less than a quarter tank. The Pilot Operating Handbook states in Section II, Limitations, do not take off if fuel quantity gauges indicate in the yellow band or with less than 13 gallons in each main tank. The pilot flew a total of three flights before the accident flight without shutting the airplane down. The airplane holds a total of 40 gallons of fuel in the left and right main fuel tanks. Three gallons of fuel are unusable in each fuel tank. The left and right main fuel tanks were ruptured and there was no evidence of fuel or browning of vegetation at the crash site. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction of the airframe, flight controls, or engine assembly and accessories.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 940 hours in all; 268 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,840 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA25 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEET Alabaster AL at 5:59 pm
- Destination: KEET
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 14,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KEET
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.