- Date
- October 27, 1991, 20:10 local (Oct 28, 1991, 02:10 UTC)
- Place
- Cotulla, TX
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6307YBellanca 17-30A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911027046809A
- Case key
- 18338
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, and a short in the electrical system which resulted in partial failure of the instrument lights and a malfunction of the autopilot.
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
The plt took off on a dark night from rwy 13, which had few visual references off the dep end. He rprtd that after climbing to about 800 to 1000 ft, there was a loss of instrument lighting for the HSI, attitude indcr, altimeter & vertical speed indcr. The psgr (his wife) held a flashlight in an attempt to illuminate the effected instruments. He engaged the heading hold (2 times) & the acft entered a steep dscndg left turn. Realizing the acft had entered a steep dscnt, he pulled the yoke aft, but the acft impacted the terrain. Both occupants were seriously injured, but the psgr notified the arpt manager of the acdnt & a search was initiated. Drg the investigation, no discrepancy with the autoplt was verified, but a short was found at a splice in the instrument lighting system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6307Y
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 84-30991
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Maze, Roy H.
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 23, 1991 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- COT
- Destination
- AXH · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- COT · Cotulla
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,040 total · 1,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- COT, 1 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.