Beech A23A accident near Tucson, Arizona, September 8, 1997
On September 8, 1997 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Beech A23A, registered N2339W, was destroyed in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (La Cholla Airpark airport). It was an instructional 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 improper recovery from a bounced landing, and failure to maintain adequate airspeed during an attempted go-around, which resulted in a stall and impact with the terrain (runway).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 1997 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · La Cholla Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A23A · all A23As on the register
- Registration
- N2339W · no longer on the register · serial M938
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was returning to the originating airport from his first solo cross-country flight. He reported that the stall warning horn came on before the airplane touched down, about 30 feet past the numbers, then the plane bounced into the air about 10 feet. The student said he realized that the airplane was at too slow an airspeed, and he attempted to execute a go-around by adding full power. The airplane climbed to approximately 20 feet in the air, then the stall warning horn sounded again. The airplane then banked to the left and impacted the ground. The student said he did not believe that there were any mechanical malfunctions that may have contributed 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: 57 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 21 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,704 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 1997; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-346 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P33 Wilcox AZ at 2:15 pm
- Destination: 40E
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 19, 4,600 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from TUS, 22 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.