# NTSB CEN20CA236: Bellanca 1730A, N244HW, Martinton, IL, June 19, 2020

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Data collection · Final report
- Date: June 19, 2020, 17:40 local (22:40 UTC)
- Place: Martinton, IL
- Coordinates: 40.95972, -87.760559 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9597&lon=-87.7606&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 2 uninjured
- Status: Completed
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office: Central Region
- NTSB case key (mKey): 101466
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN20CA236
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/101466/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101466
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA236

## Probable cause

The pilot's improper decision to conduct an off-field precautionary landing.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md)
- [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md)

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md)
- [Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md)

## Analysis

The pilot had flown about 3 hours of a cross-country flight when he thought he was going to run out of fuel. He could not find a runway nearby, so he elected to conduct a precautionary landing on a gravel road before the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. During the landing the airplane exited the road and went into a ditch, substantially damaging the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it contained about 1 hour of useable fuel.

## Aircraft

- Registration: N244HW (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELLANCA 1730A
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 30317
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Departed: St. Louis, MO
- Flight plan: Unknown

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 78; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; flight hours: 3,600 total

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 90° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter: 29.35 inHg
- Observed at: 50 nm away

## Docket (3 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2020, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101466. 500 KB in all.

- Pilot statement (item 1, PDF, 1 page, 23 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9870034&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Record%20of%20Phone%20Conversation-Pilot-Rel.pdf
- Photos (item 2, PDF, 6 pages, 6 photos, 454 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9878480&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array-Rel.pdf
- Record of communication - FAA (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 24 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=10063233&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Record%20of%20Communication%20-%20FAA-Rel.pdf

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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