Beechcraft F33A accident near Buckeye, Arizona, February 1, 2006
On February 1, 2006 at about 10:04 pm local time, a Beechcraft F33A, registered N1563A, was destroyed in an accident near Buckeye, Arizona (Phoenix Goodyear airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 1, 2006 · about 10:04 pm local time
- Place
- Buckeye, Arizona · Phoenix Goodyear · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft F33A · all F33As on the register
- Registration
- N1563A · no longer on the register · serial CE-1320
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After crossing flight paths with a military fighter jet, the single engine airplane entered an increasingly steep descent and subsequently impacted terrain. The solo student pilot departed the airport and proceeded to climb towards a designated practice area. Upon reaching 4,500 feet the pilot reduced power and entered a 500-foot-per-minute descent. At this point the pilot may have been alerted by the on-board TCAS (traffic/collision alerting device) that there was traffic approaching from her right side, close to her altitude. The sun was also off her right side at an elevation of 31 degrees above the horizon. Within seconds an F-16 fighter jet crossed in front of her from right to left. The closest point of approach between the two aircraft, as determined by a radar data study, was 1,850 feet laterally and 400 feet vertically. A study of the wake and vortex turbulence that would have been produced by the F-16 determined that the generated vortices could not have dropped low enough to affect the path of the student's airplane. After the F-16 passed, the student's airplane continued an increasingly steep linear descent, eventually exceeding 2,500 feet per minute before impacting the terrain at a 50-degree nose down, right wing down attitude, 29 seconds after the encounter. Multiple close examinations of the aircraft wreckage failed to reveal any evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. A review of the student's available medical records, autopsy, and toxicology analysis did not reveal any physiological inconsistencies. It is certainly possible (and consistent with the circumstances of the accident) that the student pilot lost consciousness following her presumed near collision; however, there is not enough information available to fully support this hypothesis.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 48 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,602 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 1, 2006; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBXK Buckeye AZ at 9:50 pm
- Destination: KGYR Phoenixgoodyear AZ
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:47 pm from KGYR, 16 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.
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.