Beech E33A accident near Mesquite, Nevada, March 22, 1996
On March 22, 1996 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech E33A, registered N7118N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesquite, Nevada (Mesquite airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's poor judgment in attempting to take off in the existing wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1996 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mesquite, Nevada · Mesquite
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E33A · all E33As on the register
- Registration
- N7118N · no longer on the register · serial CE-194
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was departing on runway 19. Both the pilot and ground witnesses stated that the winds were from 250 degrees at 25 knots with sustained gusts to 35. As the aircraft neared liftoff airspeed, it began to drift to the left. The pilot said he pulled the aircraft off the ground at that point and the left drift increased. The aircraft drifted completely off the runway and the landing gear contacted an airport boundary fence. The aircraft then cartwheeled into an adjoining field. The crosswind components for the reported steady state and gust values were computed at 23 and 31 knots, respectively. According to the Beech Pilot Operating Handbook for the airplane, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the aircraft in takeoffs or landings is 17 knots.
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: 307 hours in all; 148 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 307 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,365 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1995; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 67L at 8:46 pm
- Destination: BJC Denver CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,569 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.