Beech F33A accident near Geyserville, California, November 10, 2005
On November 10, 2005 at about 2:34 am local time, a Beech F33A, registered N9204Q, was destroyed in an accident near Geyserville, California (Sonoma County airport). It was a business 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
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate terrain clearance altitude profile during the descent that resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 2005 · about 2:34 am local time
- Place
- Geyserville, California · Sonoma County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech F33A · all F33As on the register
- Registration
- N9204Q · no longer on the register · serial CE-341
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After visually identifying his home base airport on a night VFR approach, the pilot initiated a descent and the airplane struck the top of a ridgeline at the 2,834-foot level. The pilot was en route home from a trip between two airports that he made often. He had been receiving VFR flight following services from ARTCC and had cancelled when he reported the airport in sight. Recorded radar data showed the airplane descending from its cruise altitude in a straight line toward the airport and the accident site. Investigators identified two marks along the ridgeline that were similar in dimension to the distance between the main landing gear on the airplane. The airframe and engine examinations revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Two drug substances were found in toxicological tests of the pilot's specimens, Diphenhydramine and Cetirizine. Diphenhydramine was found at a level that indicates usage within the past 8 hours of the accident flight. The Cetirizine that was found in the urine, but not the blood, and indicated that the pilot more than likely ingested the drug within the previous 48 hours, but not within the previous 12 hours of the accident. Diphenhydramine can result in drowsiness, and has measurable effects on performance of cognitive and motor tasks. Studies have shown that individuals' performance of tasks has been degraded even though they feel normal after ingesting the drug; however, in this case it is unclear the extent to which the pilot may have been sedated and/or impaired. Studies of individuals taking Cetirizine have not found any significant impairment from the medication.
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: 2,300 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,810 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2004; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental TSIO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O85 Redding CA at 1:30 am
- Destination: STS Santa Rosa CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
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.