N2031DBeech F33A · 1978

On September 17, 2018, about 0945 mountain standard time, a Beech F33A airplane, N2031D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cottonwood, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The owner of the airplane stated that he and the pilot flew from Cottonwood Airport (P52), Cottonwood, Arizona, to North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada. The airplane was fueled to capacity 2 days before the flight and was not flown until the day of the accident. The owner estimated that the airplane could fly 6.5 hours of total flight time with that amount of fuel and stated that the ForeFlight application estimated a flight time of 1 hour 10 minutes between P52 and VGT.

A preflight inspection of the airplane revealed no anomalies, and the pilots departed on the flight to VGT. About 30 minutes into the flight, they switched from the right fuel tank to the left tank. The flight was uneventful, and the owner was very confident in the pilot's control of the airplane. He stated that the right wing tank was about 1/2 full and the left wing tank was about 3/4 full when they landed. After landing at VGT, the owner disembarked the airplane with the engine still running. The owner then drove back to Cottonwood, and the pilot embarked alone on the return flight.

Radar data showed that, as the airplane approached P52, it entered a right downwind leg for runway 32. The airplane made a right turn for the base leg for runway 32 and began to descend, then continued its descent as it turned toward the runway; the last radar returns were low to the ground and near the accident site. (See Figure 1.) The airplane impacted a house and cartwheeled into the backyard.

Figure 1-Radar flight track data and the accident site location.

According to a witness who responded to the accident, the pilot had initially survived the accident and reported, "something about an engine problem." Based on radar data, the airplane's total flight time on the day of the accident was about 2 hours 33 minutes.

The pilot's logbook was not recovered. The owner reported that the pilot had not flown the accident airplane before the day of the accident.

The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) for the airplane stated that the total fuel capacity was 80 gallons, of which 74 gallons of fuel were useable. The owner stated that whenever he refueled his airplane, he would fill the tanks to about an inch below the top of the tank. Based on the fuel consumption information from the POH, the airplane would have consumed about 32 gallons of fuel after the pilots switched from the right to left tank during the first leg of the flight.

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The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) for the airplane stated that the total fuel capacity was 80 gallons, of which 74 gallons of fuel were useable. The owner stated that whenever he refueled his airplane, he would fill the tanks to about an inch below the top of the tank. Based on the fuel consumption information from the POH, the airplane would have consumed about 32 gallons of fuel after the pilots switched from the right to left tank during the first leg of the flight.

The airplane impacted the roof of a home about 1/4 mile from the approach end of runway 32. The airplane subsequently impacted a tree and a bush before impacting the ground in the backyard of the home. The airplane came to rest in the opposite direction of the debris field. The right wing exhibited leading edge impact damage, and the right wing inboard section and cabin area was mostly consumed by postimpact fire. The left wing was mostly intact and trace amounts of fuel from the left wing tank were collected during the recovery of the wreckage. The examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of preimpact malfunctions or anomalies. The left wing fuel tank was intact and undamaged. The fuel selector valve was found in the right tank position. A test run of the engine revealed no anomalies.

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According to the autopsy performed by the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, the cause of death was complications of thermal burns.

The pilot initially survived, but succumbed to his injuries several hours after the accident. Toxicology testing performed by the Federal Aviation Administration's Forensic Science Laboratory on blood obtained at autopsy identified several medications consistent with postaccident emergency medical interventions, as well as cetirizine in cardiac blood (0.129 ug/ml) and liver. Cetirizine is a sedating antihistamine commonly available with the name Zyrtec.

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