Hawker Beechcraft F33 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, September 27, 2010
On September 27, 2010 at about 5:54 pm local time, a Hawker Beechcraft F33, registered N1600W, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Phoenix, Arizona (Deer Valley airport). It was a personal 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
A partial loss of engine power during approach for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2010 · about 5:54 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Deer Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hawker Beechcraft F33 A
- Registration
- N1600W · registry record · serial CE-380
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a local flight, the airplane departed and climbed to over 8,000 feet mean sea level (msl) on the outbound leg to the north. About 44 minutes into the flight, the airplane began descending after a course reversal to the south on the return for landing. The pilot entered the landing pattern, however, due to multiple airplanes in the traffic pattern he extended downwind, and asked the controller in the air traffic control tower to call his turn to base leg. After getting established on a 3-mile final, the controller notified the pilot that the airplane appeared low. The pilot responded that he was having engine problems and would try to make it to the runway. Witnesses reported that the airplane was low on final approach and that the engine was sputtering and backfiring. The airplane subsequently collided with a building short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the wreckage found an engine monitoring unit on board. A download of the data indicated normal readings until the return descent where it appeared the pilot didn't enrich the mixture. As the pilot was turning onto the base leg, data on the engine monitoring system indicated that the engine revolutions per minute (rpm) started a gradual decrease, and the exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) for all six cylinders became erratic. The EGTs for cylinders one, two, and six dropped slightly, and stayed at higher values than the other cylinders. When the EGTs became erratic, the engine was likely losing combustion (power) in some cylinders. During the postaccident engine examination, the mixture lever was found loose on the throttle shaft but it could not be determined if it was functioning properly at impact. The reason for the partial loss of power could not be determined.
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 (partial) during approach (VFR pattern base) defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,982 hours in all; 647 in this make and model; 1,872 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 31, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2010
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors, Inc. IO-520-BA(8) (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 4:38 pm
- Destination: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 07L, 4,508 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KDVT
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR10FA473.