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20250516007739A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Beech F33A · Houston, TX · May 16, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 16, 2025 · 15:00 local
Place
Houston, TX
Airport
West Houston
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N6376S
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN25LA182
Reported as
Beech F33A
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
530 total30 in this make and model3 in the last 90 days
N6376SRegistered now · Beech F33AS/N CE-619 · Built 1975Airframe modelBeech F33AEngine modelContinental IO-520 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot stated the aircraft just came out of an annual inspection and had not flown since about February. The pilot performed all the ground run checks with no issues. Pilot departed (14:58 CDT) from iws to the south (rwy 15). The aircraft had a "positive rate of climb" so the pilot selected gear up around 500 ft altitude. Once the gear was up, the engine began to "stumble". Within less than a minute after departure, the pilot was attempting to return to the airport and losing altitude. The pilot stated they attempted to adjust the throttle and mixture, but the engine did not respond. The pilot was able to get the aircraft turned around to head back towards the airport and crashed into the trees 0.4 miles away from the departure end of runway 15. Aircraft was heading roughly 330 as observed from the wreckage. Upon crashing into the trees, the pilot escaped through the windshield opening and was able to get clear of the aircraft before it was almost completely consumed by a post-crash fire.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT JUST CAME OUT OF AN ANNUAL INSPECTION AND HAD NOT FLOWN SINCE ABOUT FEBRUARY. THE PILOT PERFORMED ALL THE GROUND RUN CHECKS WITH NO ISSUES. PILOT DEPARTED (14:58 CDT) FROM IWS TO THE SOUTH (RWY 15). THE AIRCRAFT HAD A "POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB" SO THE PILOT SELECTED GEAR UP AROUND 500 FT ALTITUDE. ONCE THE GEAR WAS UP, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO "STUMBLE". WITHIN LESS THAN A MINUTE AFTER DEPARTURE, THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND LOSING ALTITUDE. THE PILOT STATED THEY ATTEMPTED TO ADJUST THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE, BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO GET THE AIRCRAFT TURNED AROUND TO HEAD BACK TOWARDS THE AIRPORT AND CRASHED INTO THE TREES 0.4 MILES AWAY FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 15. AIRCRAFT WAS HEADING ROUGHLY 330 AS OBSERVED FROM THE WRECKAGE. UPON CRASHING INTO THE TREES, THE PILOT ESCAPED THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD OPENING AND WAS ABLE TO GET CLEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY CONSUMED BY A POST-CRASH FIRE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN25LA182Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary reportHouston, TXOn May 16, 2025, about 1459 central daylight time, a Beech F33A airplane, N6376S, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91…May 16, 2025 · Destroyed

Other reports on N6376S · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 19971209043019IRoll-Out (Fixed Wing) · Arlington, TXNarrative: landing was attempted on runway 35 at F54 with recorded winds of 250-260 degrees at 32-40 KTS. (Pilot reported winds as 280 degrees at 29-45 KTS.) Aircraft touched down but became airborne again. During attempted go around from the rejected…Dec 9, 1997 · Minor damageAccident 19791008027059ALevel Off Touchdown · Perry, FLStudent leveled off too high. Instructor failed to make timely recovery. Wing hit ground.Oct 8, 1979 · Substantial damage