Beechcraft 35-C33A accident near Prescott, Arizona, March 29, 2008
On March 29, 2008 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Beechcraft 35-C33A, registered N4833J, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Prescott, Arizona (Ernest A. Love Field Airport). It was a personal 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
Fuel starvation due to the pilot's improper preflight and failure to select a tank containing fuel before takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 2008 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Ernest A. Love Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 35-C33A · all 35-C33As on the register
- Registration
- N4833J · no longer on the register · serial CE-118
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing on an early morning flight and said that he performed his preflight and pretakeoff checklists. During the takeoff roll, he realized that he had forgotten to switch the fuel tank from the left tank (containing less than 1 gallon of fuel) to the right tank (containing about 35 gallons of fuel). The pilot switched the fuel tank selector from the left tank to the right tank during the takeoff roll, and during the initial climb, the engine sputtered and lost power. The pilot force-landed the airplane off the end of the runway. During the forced landing, the airplane collided with a fence post and incurred substantial damage to the left wing. Following the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the fuel transfer system on the airplane and successfully test ran the engine. No mechanical anomalies were identified.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel selector/shutoff valve › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 797 hours in all; 453 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ
- Destination: FFZ Mesa AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21L, 7,550 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from PRC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.