- Date
- January 25, 1988, 16:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Borger, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8250RBellanca 17-30A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880125001389A
- Case key
- 22609
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 takeoff there was smoke in the cabin. The plt started a turn back toward the runway. When he turned off the electrical master switch the engine stopped producing power. Attempts to restart the engine were not successful. He impacted a heavy cable during the off-airport, forced landing. Post-crash investigation revealed a broken weld at the rear of the left muffler. Heat from the left muffler melted the insulation on the 'p' leads to the magnetos, grounded them, and shut off the engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8250R
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20474
- Airframe hours
- 2,068
- Engine
- Continental IO-520K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- J & W Operating Co.
- Registered owner
- J & W Operating Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BGD
- Destination
- OKC · Oklahoma City, OK
- Airport
- BGD · Hutchinson County, runway 21, 3,898 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,145 total · 1,717 in this make and model · 2,945 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.