# NTSB DEN00FA135: Bellanca 17-30, N6691V, Lake City, CO, November 10, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: November 10, 1999, 14:40 local (21:40 UTC) - Place: Lake City, CO - Coordinates: 38.069904, -107.299278 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.0699&lon=-107.2993&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed, report May 16, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 49786 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN00FA135 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/49786/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00FA135 ## Probable cause the pilot's inadequate flight planning and preparation, and his inadvertent flight into adverse weather during a cross-country flight over mountainous terrain. Contributing factors were, the cloudy obscuration weather condition, the high density altitude, and the lack of suitable terrain for a precautionary landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, cruise - planning/decision - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - flight into adverse weather - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - clouds (contributing factor) - weather condition - obscuration (contributing factor) - weather condition - high density altitude (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - precautionary landing - attempted, pilot in command - terrain condition - mountainous/hilly - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) - use of inappropriate medication/drug, pilot in command ## Analysis The pilot and his wife were flying from Lagrangeville, New York, to Las Vegas, Nevada, with no winter clothing or survival equipment. The airplane departed Colorado Springs, Colorado, with full fuel tanks, and was last located by an unconfirmed radar report approximately 2 hours later near Creede, Colorado. An extensive search for the airplane started on November 20, 1999, and was unsuccessful. Hikers located the airplane on July 20, 2000, at 12,724 feet. Examination of the accident site indicated the pilot had made a precautionary landing on a mountain ridge. No sectional navigation maps were located in the airplane nor was any flight planning documentation located (the pilot had not filed a flight plan). The airplane was found with the landing gear extended and separated from the airplane. The ELT battery was out of date and the ELT was damaged; a hand held transceiver was located under the pilot's seat; and the airplane's radios were found in the on position. Satellite imagery and meteorological reports indicate that clouds would have obscured the mountain ridges in the accident area. The pilot's son reported that the pilot was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and was taking insulin. The pilot and his wife were found with 'multiple portions of additional items of clothing on,' suggesting both survived the impact. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 10, 1999, approximately 1440 mountain standard time, a Bellanca Viking 17-30, N6691V, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Lake City, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his passenger (the pilot's wife) were fatally injured. The aircraft was owned by the pilot's wife, and was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the high mountain ridge tops, and cloud tops were above 19,000 feet. The cross-country personal flight originated from Colorado Springs, Colorado, at approximately 1230. No flight plan had been filed, but witnesses reported that the intended destination was Las Vegas, Nevada. According to family members, the pilot and his wife departed Lagrangeville, New York, on November 9, 1999, with a destination of Las Vegas, Nevada. They spent the night in Kansas, and flew their first leg on November 10, 1999, into Colorado Springs, Colorado. The pilot requested ramp personnel to "top the airplane off." The airplane received 53 gallons of 100LL fuel. Radar data indicates that the airplane departed Colorado Springs at 1225 and flew south towards Pueblo, Colorado. The last confirmed radar contact, at 1309, was south of Cannon City, Colorado, over the north end of the Wet Mountains (County Road 143, or Oak Creek Grade Road) at 10,500 feet mean sea level (msl). Additional unconfirmed radar returns were recorded, at 1411, near Creede, Colorado, at 13,500 feet msl. The last unconfirmed radar return was at 1419 (N37 degrees, 54.10'; W107 degrees, 2.00'), at an altitude of 14,800 feet msl. This last radar return was 30 nautical miles (nm) from the crash site. No Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was received from the downed airplane. The family reported the couple missing on November 20, 1999, and authorities began to search for the airplane. The Civil Air Patrol suspended its unsuccessful search mission on December 3, 1999. On July 20, 2000, hikers found the airplane at 12,718 feet on Crown Mountain, above Lake City, Colorado. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot reported on his FAA medical application, dated April 22, 1999, that he had 4,500 hours of flight experience, and that he had flown 10 hours during the previous 6 months. The pilot's personal flight logbook was never located; no documentation could be located to indicate that the pilot had a current flight review. The pilot's son said that his father was "not much of an outdoors person," and that he had had little or no training in outdoor survival skills. He also said that his father had recently been diagnosed with diabetes. The son said that the family doctor told him that the pilot's medical condition had been stabilized with medication (insulin). This medication was not approved by the FAA for pilots to take while on flight status. FAA medical records indicate that the passenger received her private pilot certificate in September 15, 1959. Their records further indicate that her last FAA medical was taken on September 3, 1992. On that medical application form, the passenger indicated that she had accumulated a total of 200 hours of flight experience. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane was a single engine, propeller-driven, four seat airplane, which was manufactured by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation, in 1967. It was powered by a Continental Motors IO-520KCD, six cylinder, reciprocating, horizontally opposed, direct drive, air cooled, normally aspirated, fuel injected engine, which had a maximum takeoff rating of 300 horsepower at sea level. The wing flaps and the landing gear were operated by hydraulics. The maintenance logbooks indicated that the last annual inspection had been completed on October 21, 1999. The aircraft's maintenance logbook and the engine's tachometer indicated that the airframe had a total of 1,448 hours of flight time. The engine, with 1,254 hours on it, had been installed on December 19, 1997. A portable oxygen system was found, in the on position, in the airplane; it could not be determined if it had oxygen in it at the time of the accident. The airplane was also equipped with an ELT, which had a transmission antenna located just forward of the vertical stabilizer. It was labeled with a battery expiration date of October 15, 1999. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION At 1453, the weather conditions at the Montrose Regional Airport (elevation 5,759 feet), 320 degrees 42 nm from the accident site, were as follows: wind 310 degrees at 5 knots; visibility 10 statue miles (sm); clear of clouds; temperature 64 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 46 degrees Fahrenheit; altimeter setting 30.22 inches of mercury. Weather reports from several locations across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico indicate that visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the time period of the airplane's flight. Satellite pictures taken at 1400 show clouds moving from southeastern Utah into southwestern Colorado; the high mountain topography near the accident site did have clouds present. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane was found in high mountain rocky terrain (elevation 12,724 feet, N37 degrees, 52.76'; W107 degrees, 31.76'). The terrain was partially soil-covered with 6 inch high grass. There was a ground scar leading to the airplane, 287 feet in length, on a 200 degree track. The airplane was upright and resting on its belly; it was oriented longitudinally approximately 315 degrees. The right wing had completely separated from the fuselage, and the left wing's outboard 12 feet was separated. The bottom of the fuselage, in the area under the instrument panel, was slightly crushed up into the cabin area. The bottom of the empennage, just forward of the vertical stabilizer, was buckled. The airplane's front windscreen was broken. All of the airplane's major components were accounted for at the accident site. The flight control surfaces were all identified. Control cable continuity was established to the rudder and horizontal stabilizer; however, control cable continuity could not be established to the ailerons due to impact damage. Both main landing gear were found separated from the aircraft. The nose landing gear was found under the fuselage broken aft, and to the right side. The flaps were found in the up position, but they were hydraulically operated and spring loaded to the up position in case of hydraulic failure. The front right seat was found broken from its attachment rails, and the floor under the seat area was bent and buckled. The left rudder pedal on the pilot's side was broken forward. The airplane's communication radios were in the on position and set to 126.85 megahertz; however, it could not be determined if they were operational immediately after the accident. The landing gear handle was in the down position. The engine controls, mixture, propeller, and throttle, were all found full forward. The engine cavity damage, engine mounts and the firewall, indicate that the engine had been forced back into the firewall and then rebounded forward. The right side engine mounts were broken and the right side of the engine was displaced aft. The engine's crankshaft freely rotated by hand, had good "thumb" compression on all cylinders, and demonstrated continuity through the valve train and all accessories. Both magnetos, on all the leads, developed good spark. All three propeller blades were loose in the hub, and they all displayed chordwise striations and leading edge damage. One blade had 9 inches of its tip broken off, another was twisted approximately 90 degrees and bent aft, and the third was bent aft approximately 30 degrees near the tip. The handheld transceiver was found under a seat, and it could not be determined if it was operational at the time of the accident. The ELT was found outside of the airplane beside the baggage door; the bottom was broke ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6691V](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6691V-2001-01-09), registration cancelled 2001-01-09, S/N 30022 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Bellanca 17-30 - Registry model: [Bellanca 17-30](https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-17-30) (registry code 1220432) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 30022 - Airframe hours: 1448 - Engines: Continental IO-520-KCD 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Estelle J. Sherman - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 21, 1999, 27 hours before - Departed: COS, COLORADO SPRING, CO - Destination: L15, LAS VEGAS, NV ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 71; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 4,500 total, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 310° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 18 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: MTJ, 45 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19991110043839A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991110043839A), Nov 10, 1999: Blanca 1730, Lake City, CO, No damage, 2 fatal. (-23) Bellanca viking 17-30, N6691V, was destroyed and the commercial rated pilot (at controls) and the private pilot rated passenger (wife) were fatally… ## Other investigations on N6691V (1) 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. - [NTSB LAX68F0125](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX68F0125), Sep 5, 1967: Bellanca 17-30 (N6691V), San Marcos, CA, destroyed 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. --- 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.