- Date
- July 15, 1987, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mc Kinney, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N28157Bellanca 17-30A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870715034899A
- Case key
- 22259
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
On the third touch and go landing, while on the downwind leg of the approach, the pilot switched fuel tanks and shortly thereafter the engine failed. The pilot attempted 3 to 4 times to restart the engine by switching fuel tanks and activating the boost pump. The engine started once but failed again. The pilot made a forced landing in a field, striking the left wing on a fence post and collapsing the landing gear. Fuel was found in both tanks, however, the aux tank and the eng fuel distributer were found empty. The CFI stated during an interview after the accd that he was not sure which fuel tank was selected when the eng failed. The eng ran satisfactorily during a post-accd run-up, however, when the fuel selector was switched to the off or aux positions the eng would stop after about 1 minute.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N28157
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 80-30987
- Airframe hours
- 1,015
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ralph Bianchi
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 23, 1987 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- ADS · Addison, TX
- Airport
- TKI · Mckinney Muni., runway 17, 4,000 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 586 total · 10 in this make and model · 456 as pilot in command · 203 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.