Beech F33A accident near Saint Clair, Missouri, May 23, 1996
On May 23, 1996 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Beech F33A, registered N8273G, was destroyed in an accident near Saint Clair, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in a stall and collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1996 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Saint Clair, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F33A · all F33As on the register
- Registration
- N8273G · no longer on the register · serial CE-1573
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported seeing the airplane circling low overhead in a 'clockwise to rectangular' pattern. The witness observed the airplane turning southerly and descending, when it pitched up 45 degrees, and appeared to have stalled. The airplane then went into a 45 degree dive. The witness said the airplane sounded normal. The local police searched the hanger for signs of a suicide note, because the pilot's wife said he recently had been acting desponded. No such note was found. No mechanical failure/malfunction of the airframe, powerplant, or flight controls were discovered during the investigation.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,984 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 3,794 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 775 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 22, 1996; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SUS Chesterfield MO at 5:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from SUS, 29 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N8273G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.