# Incident 20210701012139I: Bellanca 17-30, Tusayan, AZ, July 1, 2021 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: July 1, 2021, 14:43 local time - Place: Tusayan, AZ - Airport: Grand Canyon National Park Air - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.9524° N, 112.1470° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.9524&lon=-112.1470&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4702V, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4702V) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Bellanca 17-30 (registry code 1220432, https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-17-30) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BELLANCA 17-30 - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES - People aboard: 3 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 12,000 total, 35 in this make and model, 140 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210701012139I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON JULY 1, 2021, AT APPROXIMATELY 14:43 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME (MST), A BELLANCA 17-30 (N4702V), EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING 8.7 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK AIRPORT (KGCN). THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND HIS TWO PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGED. THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT DEPARTED TORRANCE AIRPORT (KTOA), TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA WITH A STOP AT CABLE AIRPORT (KCCB), UPLAND, CA BEFORE PROCEEDING ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT TO PAGE, ARIZONA. AT 14:41 MST, THE PILOT OF N4702V CONTACTED GRAND CANYON TOWER (GCN) REQUESTING TO LAND. GCN TOWER ISSUED LANDING PATTERN ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS TO N4702V. AT 14:43 MST, THE PILOT OF N4702V STATED TO GCN TOWER ?WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY, WE ARE GOING TO LAND HERE?. GCN TOWER INQUIRED ABOUT THE EMERGENCY AND THE PILOT REPORTED A ?FUEL ISSUE?. THERE WAS NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH N4702V UNTIL A 911 BASED CALL CONFIRMED THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES SOUTHWEST WITH NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE ON-SITE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON OPEN SLOPED TERRAIN ON A SOUTHWEST HEADING. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE DURING THE LANDING IN WHICH THE NOSEWHEEL LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE LOWER ENGINE COWLING AND PROPELLER. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM APPROXIMATELY 5 HOURS AFTER THE LANDING EVENT REVEALED BOTH MAIN TANKS (LEFT/RIGHT) AND AUXILARY FUEL TANK CONTAINED NO MEASURABLE AMOUNT OF FUEL. NO FUEL WAS VISIBLE ON THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE LANDING SITE INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHDOWN WAS ON A MAGNETIC HEADING OF 250 DEGREES WITH THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED. THE AIRCRAFT TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET BEFORE THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER BLADES AND LOWER ENGINE COWL. THE AIRCRAFT DAMAGE ASSESSMENT WAS DETERMINED TO BE MINOR. THE PILOT PROVIDED A WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT HE ADDED 33.3 GALLONS OF FUEL AT WHITEMAN AIRPORT (KWHP) PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AND THEN FLEW TO KTOA TO PICK UP TWO PASSENGERS. THE FLIGHT THEN PROCEEDED TO KCCB AND THEN ONTO THE FINAL DESTINATION OF KPGA. THE PILOT STATED THAT APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES FROM KGCN AND AT CRUISE ALTITUDE OF 11,500 FEET, AN ENGINE VIBRATION WAS NOTICED WHICH INCREASED ALONG WITH FLUCTUATING OIL PRESSURE. THE PILOT ELECTED TO CHANGE HIS DESTINATION TO KGCN. THE PILOT STATED BY TELEPHONE ON JULY 20, 2021, THAT HE ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN THE OPEN FIELD RATHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT KGCN DUE TO THE ENGINE CONDITION OF CUTTING OUT AND EXHIBITING PARTIAL POWER. THE INVESTIGATION AND FINAL DETERMINATION IS PENDING AWAITING FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AND AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM AT A CONTROLLED STORAGE FACILITY. ## Other reports on N4702V (3) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20160113000369I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160113000369I), Jan 13, 2016: Bellanca 17-30 (N4702V), Lakeville, MN, Minor damage. After landing on runway 12 at lvn, right main gear collapsed on landing rollout just prior to initiating turn off from runway. - [Incident 19871023063549I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19871023063549I), Oct 23, 1987: Blanca 1730 (N4702V), El Dorado, KS, Minor damage. Low fuel caused engine failure during turn. Aircraft was stalled in, damaging landing gear. No injuries. - [Incident 19851231076099I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19851231076099I), Dec 31, 1985: Blanca 1730 (N4702V), Lawrence, KS, Minor damage. Engine lost power after takeoff. Restart accomplished just prior to touchdown gear up. Water from sump on preflight. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.