Beech F33C accident near Sugarland, Texas, August 21, 2001
On August 21, 2001, a Beech F33C, registered N133DA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sugarland, Texas (Sugarland Municipal/Hull Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent stall of the airplane during the base/final approach for landing which resulted in a collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's diverted attention to an open cockpit door.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2001
- Place
- Sugarland, Texas · Sugarland Municipal/Hull Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F33C · all F33Cs on the register
- Registration
- N133DA · registry record · serial CJ-145
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff/initial climb in the single-engine airplane, the door popped open. The pilot requested and was cleared for landing. The airplane entered a left downwind approximately 600 feet agl. The tower controller observed that during the turn from base to final approach, the airplane overshot the runway centerline, and subsequently, the airplane "appeared to lose forward speed" during a left turn back toward the runway. The airplane impacted the ground in the runway safety area to the west of the runway. The door, door mechanism, and airframe structure were examined and no anomalies were found that would have contributed to an in-flight opening of the door.
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: 751 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 497 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 15, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,521.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2000; 134 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGR Sugarland TX
- Destination: Sugarland TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.