Beech 95 accident near Sun Valley, Arizona, June 6, 2000
On June 6, 2000 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Beech 95, registered N133PW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sun Valley, Arizona (Sun Valley airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The certified flight instructor's (pilot-in-command) inadequate supervision of his dual student, who prematurely retracted the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 2000 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sun Valley, Arizona · Sun Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95 · all 95s on the register
- Registration
- N133PW · registry record · serial TD-9
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
All three landing gear retracted immediately prior to rotation and the airplane settled back to the runway. The left wingtip struck the runway and the airplane cartwheeled, running into a rising dirt embankment, and coming to rest on the side of the runway. In his written statement, the flight instructor reported that the nose gear collapsed during the takeoff ground roll. He had no further explanation of the event. According to a pilot-rated witness, the airplane was on the takeoff ground roll when all three landing gear retracted prior to rotation, and the airplane settled back to the runway. The witness went to the assistance of the airplane occupants and spoke to the flight instructor. According to the witness, the instructor said that the student might have placed the landing gear selector switch in the up position instead of the flaps after the previous landing.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 750 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 670 as pilot in command; 458 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,644 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 23, 2000; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sheble Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: A20 Sun Valley AZ at 3:00 pm
- Destination: IFP Bullhead City AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,700 ft by 42 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 4:45 pm from IFP, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.