- Date
- April 24, 1992, 13:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Alto, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N14690Bellanca 17-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920424011079A
- Case key
- 8593
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's mismangement of the fuel in that he delayed selection of a fuel tank with usable fuel, and the excessive final landing speed. Factors were the pilot's failure to extend the flaps and the rough/uneven terrain because of the railroad spur.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During a normal descent, the engine sputtered. The pilot stated that the sputter indicated that the auxiliary fuel tank, which was in use, had been emptied. He switched fuel tanks & held the boost pump in prime. The engine sputtered & surged but would not continue operating. An attempt to reach a nearby airport was unsuccessful. Therefore, a forced landing was made in a field adjacent to a warehouse. After landing, the airplane collided with the tracks of a railroad spur, which separated the left main landing gear. The airplane continued the landing roll until the right wing struck a utility pole. Examination of the wreckage revealed no fuel in the auxiliary fuel tank, usable fuel in the wing tanks, & the fuel selector in the right wing tank position. After the airplane had been moved, fuel which had been drained from it at the accident site was used in the auxiliary tank to operate the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14690
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 74-30637
- Airframe hours
- 2,200
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-K1B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Forbes, Joseph D.
- Registered owner
- Forbes, Joseph D.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 23, 1991 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- INT · Winston-Salem, NC
- Destination
- PDK · Chamblee, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 285 total · 30 in this make and model · 236 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AHN, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.