Beech F33A accident near Anza, California, February 23, 1987
On February 23, 1987 at about 10:42 pm local time, a Beech F33A, registered N59AB, was destroyed in an accident near Anza, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 1987 · about 10:42 pm local time
- Place
- Anza, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech F33A · all F33As on the register
- Registration
- N59AB · registry record · serial CE-923
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT & 3 PAX PLANNED A PLEASURE FLT TO MX. THE WEATHER WAS BELOW VFR MINIMUMS HOWEVER THE PLT ELECTED TO ATTEMPT THE FLT. SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER AN AREA WHERE IT WAS SNOWING, THE CLOUD BASE WAS ESTIMATED AT 200 FEET AGL, & THE VISIBILITY VARIED FROM 50 FT TO 1 MILE. A WITNESS OBSERVED AN ACFT FLYING BELOW THE CLOUDS IN A STEEP LEFT BANK. THE ACFT SUDDENLY ROLLED RIGHT, PITCHED UPWARDS (ABT 30 DEGREES) AND FLEW INTO THE CLOUDS. ANOTHER WITNESS, LOCATED IN HIS HOUSE ABT 150 FT SOUTH OF THE ACC SITE, HEARD A SOUND LIKE AN ACFT ENG IN A POWER DIVE. HE THEN HEARD A LOUD DULL THUD AND LOOKED OUTSIDE AND SAW THE ACFT IN HIS APPLE ORCHARD. EXAM OF THE ACFT & ENG DID NOT REVEAL ANY PREIMPACT FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS.
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: 1,967 hours in all; 60 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 606 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 12, 1986; 158 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4LO Aguanga CA
- Destination: MXL Mexicali
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from RIV, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.