Beech G33 accident near Bolingbrook, Illinois, January 10, 2023
On January 10, 2023 at about 1:58 pm local time, a 1971 Beech G33, registered N9283Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Bolingbrook, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 10, 2023 · about 1:58 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Bolingbrook, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech G33, built 1971 · all G33s on the register
- Registration
- N9283Q · registry record · serial CD-1259
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported the engine lost total power while he was on approach to his destination airport. According to the pilot, he attempted to restart the engine by switching fuel tanks, but he may have forgotten to engage the boost pump, and the restart was unsuccessful. The pilot then conducted a forced landing on a freeway, during which the right and left wings sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank contained no usable fuel, the right fuel tank had visible but unknown quantity of fuel. After the airplane was recovered from the freeway, a functional engine test run, with the right fuel tank selected, was completed with no anomalies noted. After the accident, the pilot stated that he should have incorporated better fuel management techniques. The loss of engine power was attributed to fuel starvation.
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 approach
- Fuel starvation during approach defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management other cases naming the fuel system
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 4, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N (piston); 1,200 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C29 Middleton WI at 1:10 am
- Destination: LL22 Downers Grove IL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 pm from KLOT, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLOT 101945Z 20004KT 10SM CLR 09/05 A2985=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 2, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Mor FAA Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9283Q on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft G33 41 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-470-N 12 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Middleton Muni/Morey Field · departed from
- Brookeridge Air Park Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,067 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23LA080.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.