- Date
- November 14, 1983, 08:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Crested Butte, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N14780Bellanca 17-31ATC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831114057399A
- Case key
- 16289
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
According to the plt, the ground was covered with about 6 inches of light snow & the wind was from the southwest at 5 to 10 KTS. A snow plow preceeded him to the rwy & had cleared a strip about 10 to 12 ft wide on the 1st 1/3 of the rwy. When the plt was ready for takeoff, he did not see the snow plow. After waiting for a few minutes, the plt thought that the snow plow operator was waiting for him to takeoff, so he (the plt) elected to proceed with the departure. The plt stated that at aprx 50 mph, during the takeoff roll, the acft began drifting left. He corrected with light right rudder, but reported the acft overreacted. Left rudder was then applied. Subsequently, the left main wheel encountered snow & the acft veered off the rwy. The plt pulled the throttle to idle, but before stopping, the acft hit a rock embankment, the prop was damaged, the gear collapsed & the left wing was damaged.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14780
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-31ATC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 74-31096
- Airframe hours
- 1,310
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1E5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aspen Aero Club
- Registered owner
- Bellanca N14780 Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 22, 1983
- Destination
- GUC · Gunnison, CO
- Airport
- 3V6 · Crested Butte Mun., runway 11, 4,500 × 50 ft, gravel
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 862 total · 86 in this make and model · 727 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- 2V9, 20 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.