Beech 33 accident near Cottonwood, Arizona, September 17, 2018
On September 17, 2018 at about 4:45 pm local time, a 1978 Beech 33, registered N2031D, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Cottonwood, Arizona (Cottonwood 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
The pilot's mismanagement of the available fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2018 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cottonwood, Arizona · Cottonwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 33 F33A, built 1978
- Registration
- N2031D · no longer on the register · serial CE-809
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The owner of the airplane and the pilot completed a cross-country flight; upon landing, the owner disembarked and the pilot departed alone on the return flight. Radar data showed that the airplane entered the traffic pattern at the origination airport at the conclusion of the return flight and, after turning onto the final leg of the traffic pattern for landing, the airplane continued to descend and impacted the roof of a home about 1/4 mile from the approach end of the runway. A witness who responded to the site immediately after the accident stated that the pilot said "something about an engine problem." The left wing and fuel tank were mostly intact; the tank contained trace amounts of fuel. The inboard right wing, including the fuel tank, was mostly consumed by a postcrash fire. The fuel selector was found in the right tank position. Postaccident examination of the airplane and test run of the engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The owner of the airplane stated that they departed on the first leg of the flight with the airplane fueled to capacity. About 30 minutes into the flight, they switched the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank. Fuel consumption information from the airplane's Pilots Operating Handbook indicated that, if the airplane flew the remainder of the first leg of the flight and the entire return flight with the left fuel tank selected, the fuel consumed would have been about equal to the usable fuel available in that tank. Given the lack of fuel found in the intact left main tank, the lack of mechanical anomalies found during examination, and the pilot's report of engine problems, it is likely that the pilot failed to switch the fuel selector during the return flight, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power. It is possible that the pilot switched fuel tanks following the loss of power but that the airplane's low altitude at the time of the power loss provided inadequate time to restore fuel flow and engine power before the airplane impacted the ground.
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 approach defining event
- Loss of control in flight during approach
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Flight time: 10,854 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VGT Las Vegas NV at 3:20 pm
- Destination: P52 Cottonwood AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,252 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from KSEZ, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.