Beech BE23 accident near Kingman, Arizona, May 5, 2006
On May 5, 2006 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Beech BE23, registered N8750M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kingman, Arizona (Kingman Airport). 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 student pilot's failure to attain/maintain a proper glide path, which resulted in an encounter with wake turbulence and subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2006 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Kingman, Arizona · Kingman Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech BE23
- Registration
- N8750M · no longer on the register · serial M-538
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane encountered wake turbulence and landed hard. The student pilot was on a solo flight practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. While the accident airplane was on the base leg of the traffic pattern, a twin engine airplane touched down on the runway surface. The accident airplane turned onto final approach and encountered wake turbulence about 5 to 6 feet above the runway surface. The airplane's left wing immediately lifted up about 45 degrees. The pilot recovered to a wings-level attitude just prior to the airplane slamming down on the runway surface. As a result of the hard impact, the nose wheel collapsed and a fire erupted as the airplane slid down the runway; fire consumed the airplane. The student pilot reported that there were no failures or malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.
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: student
- Flight time: 68 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: IGM Kingman AZ
- Destination: IGM Kingman AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 6,831 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 2:59 pm from IGM
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.