Beech F33A accident near Wahoo, Nebraska, March 21, 2004
On March 21, 2004 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Beech F33A, registered N3077H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wahoo, Nebraska. 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 improper recovery from the bounced landing resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear. A factor was the pilot's misjudged landing flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 2004 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Wahoo, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F33A · all F33As on the register
- Registration
- N3077H · registry record · serial CE-1154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged during landing when the nose landing gear collapsed. A witness reported seeing the airplane land hard and subsequently bounce several times prior to the collapse of the nose landing gear. No pre-impact anomalies were found.
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
- Flight time: 460 hours in all; 450 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AHQ Wahoo NE at 8:30 pm
- Destination: AHQ Wahoo NE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.56 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from OMA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.