- Date
- October 6, 1987, 08:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Newport, VT
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N39857Bellanca 17-30A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871006058839A
- Case key
- 36027
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, the eng lost power as the acft was climbing thru about 75' AGL. Subsequently, the acft was damaged during an emerg landing. An exam revealed the acft had a very loosely fitting fuel cap & water was found in the fuel lines & sumps. The plt said he had checked the fuel during the preflight, but apparently the samples were all water which he mistook as fuel. The acdnt occurred after recent heavy rainfall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39857
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 73-30498
- Airframe hours
- 2,740
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald W. Parker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 29, 1987
- Destination
- Turners Falls, MA
- Airport
- EFK · Newport State, runway 18, 4,000 × 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 331 total · 331 in this make and model · 321 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.