- Date
- June 1, 1991, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Ord, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4SHBellanca 17-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910601018689A
- Case key
- 27226
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
Partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
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
A Bellanca 17-30 was forced to land after a partial loss of engine power during the cruise climb. The partial loss of engine power occurred after takeoff during the fuel to air mixture leaning procedure. An off airport forced landing was accomplished in coastal waters of the pacific ocean just outside of the surf. The airplane sank in shallow water. Sand and salt water was ingested in the airplane's fuselage and wings. The engine was examined by the FAA. There was no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction found during the examination. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4SH
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30009
- Airframe hours
- 2,253
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Flame Aero Inc
- Registered owner
- Flame Aero Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 15, 1991 · 24 hours before
- Departed
- MRY · Monterey, CA
- Destination
- WVI · Watsonville, CA
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 380 in this make and model · 2,350 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MRY, 2 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.