Beech 33 N6665U accident near Granbury, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was conducting a personal flight to a nearby airport. Flight tracking information and a statement from another pilot indicated that the pilot overflew the runway, entered the airport traffic pattern, landed, and taxied the airplane off the runway. About 7 minutes later, the airplane was captured on radar as it flew downwind in the traffic pattern and proceeded north. About 2 minutes later, the radar data ended; the accident site was located 0.39 nautical mile north-northeast of the final radar return. The airplane impacted trees and terrain in a nose-low attitude with minimal forward momentum and a slightly twisted empennage, consistent with an aerodynamic stall/spin.

Examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot was flying an extended pattern and turning from the base to final legs of the pattern when he exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and impact with terrain.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20FA076 for the full record.