Aircraft model
BEECH E33A
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The E33A is the straight-tail Bonanza with the 285 hp Continental IO-520 in place of the 225 hp IO-470, and it transforms the aeroplane: 175 knots and a 1,415 lb useful load, matching a V35 in everything but the tail. For many buyers it is the pick of the 33 series.
The IO-520 is powerful and has a documented crankcase cracking history on high-time engines, so its provenance matters. Fuel burn is 15 to 16 gallons an hour. It avoids the V-tail airworthiness directive entirely, which is worth real money. Otherwise the ownership picture is standard Bonanza — expensive parts, retractable gear maintenance, and an insurer who will want a formal transition course before writing a policy for an owner new to the type.
Compare with…
Put BEECH E33A side by side with up to two other models.
- BEECH E33A
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Continental IO-520-B |
| Horsepower | 285 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1968 |
| Production end | 1969 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 175 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 700 nm |
| Service ceiling | 17,800 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,200 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 52 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,220 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,250 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,415 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,115 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,300 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,885 lb |
| Usable fuel | 50 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 16 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $140,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $260,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,700 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $48,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $68,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 62 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 51 |
| Median year built | 1968.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 19.61 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 19.61 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 11 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.57 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 9 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 51 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 51 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 51 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 0.3 of 103 |
| Support | 2.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 6.5 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 32.28 · 202 models in class.
- Severity: class median 12.5.
- Access: class median 775.
- Support: class median 147.5.
- Liquidity: class median 19.9.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.