- Date
- June 2, 1985, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- El Paso, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N39854Bellanca 17-30A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850602021939A
- Case key
- 21765
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Shortly after liftoff, the plt first smelled, then observed smoke coming into the cockpit from under the instrument panel. Shortly thereafter, the eng quit completely. The plt made a forced landing in an open area off the rwy. During the landing roll, the acft struck an embankment & the landing gear collapsed. An investigation revealed that the muffler on the left side, which had been overhauled & installed on 7/25/83, had failed near the outlet, allowing hot exhaust gases to enter the eng compartment & burn a wire bundle containing the magneto wiring (p-leads). A large section was missing from the rear half of the muffler.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39854
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30483
- Airframe hours
- 1,104
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mike Haynes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 14, 1984 · 47 hours before
- Destination
- ALM · Alamogordo, NM
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ELP · El Paso Intl, runway 26L, 9,008 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 174 total · 15 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.