- Date
- September 29, 1989, 14:53 local (21:53 UTC)
- Place
- Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8272RBellanca 17-30A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890929037379A
- Case key
- 26518
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
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. The fuel starvation was the result of vane particles from the deteriorated electric fuel pump restricting the upstream flow of fuel.
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
After takeoff the flight remained in a closed traffic pattern. On turn to final the engine lost power and the aircraft landed in a bay short of the runway. No fuel was found forward of the firewall. The fuel strainer at the fuel control unit contained small dark particles. Examination of the electric fuel pump revealed that the vanes had damage and severely restricted the flow of fuel. The mechanical fuel pump was okay.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8272R
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30465
- Airframe hours
- 1,508
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Klouda, Linda K.
- Registered owner
- Linda Kay Klouda
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 14, 1989 · 46 hours before
- Airport
- PAO · Palo Alto, runway 30, 2,500 × 65 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
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 10 in this make and model · 5,500 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAO, 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.